A WOMAN WHO complained that “bottomless bubbly” was a misleading way to advertise fermented pear juice has had her complaint upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI).
The offending ad was for a discounted brunch at Drop Dead Twice, a restaurant and cocktail bar on Dublin’s Francis Street.
It read:
This €29.00 voucher entitles the bearer to: Brunch and ‘bottomless’ bubbly for two people at Drop Dead Twice, Dublin (was up to €52)…
The notice stipulated that customers must be over 18 with a valid photo ID and the “bottomless bubbly” is valid for 90 minutes. It also urged people to drink responsibly.
The ad featured a photo of an ice bucket with a bottle sticking out of it alongside two champagne glasses containing “a yellow toned liquid”.
The woman complained that the ad was misleading because the majority of people would consider “bottomless bubbly” to refer to sparkling wine not fermented pear juice.
She added that she had consulted a dictionary and it confirmed her interpretation of the word.
In responding to the woman’s complaint the advertisers said that at no point in the ad had they mentioned sparkling wine or prosecco.
They added that they considered the woman’s interpretation of the word “bubbles” to be a matter of opinion and they believed everyone’s opinion to be subjective.
They also said that they had sold thousands of vouchers for the offer in question and had received no other complaints.
The ASAI upheld the woman’s complaint saying that, in the context of the ad, the “most likely” understanding would be that “bottomless bubbly” referred to some form of sparkling wine or prosecco.
In coming to this view the committee referenced the picture of the ice bucket with the champagne glasses and the time limit that the drink was available for.
The authority ruled that the word ‘bubbly’ should not be used in future promotions unless the beverage was sparkling wine or prosecco or if “prominent clarification” was given as to what the drink actually was.
The ASAI also revealed the details 19 other complaints in its latest complaints bulletin, which was released today. The authority upheld 15 of the 20 complaints.
Among the other ads that were found to have breached the ASAI’s code were an ad in blog format on the homepage of the Faces by Grace influencer website and an ad for the Anne Darcy Clinic which made a series of unsubstantiated claims about ailments that Naturopathy can help with.
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