BrewDog’s solid gold can ads ‘misleading’

BrewDog

BrewDog has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for its “misleading” claims that customers could win a “solid gold beer” can.

The Scottish brewery advertised the chance to win the can, which they claimed was worth £15,000, between November 2020 and March 2021, as part of a promotional competition.

Fifty of the cans were made, with competition winners believing it was made of solid gold.

The certificate provided by BrewDog shows the can is coated with gold plating three microns thick, or three thousandths of a millimetre.

A company spokesperson told the BBC in July the use of the term “solid gold” was a mistake, but it stood by its £15,000 claim, saying the estimate was made up of more than just the metal used.

The ASA received 25 complaints in relation to three social media adverts and found the adverts to be misleading.

In its ruling, the watchdog said it “understood the prize consisted of 24 carat gold-plated replica cans”, but added “because the ads stated that the prize included a solid gold can when that was not the case, we concluded the ads were misleading”.

The ASA said it had told BrewDog not to state or imply that consumers would receive a solid gold can when it was not the case.

In response to the ASA’s ruling, James Watt, co-founder and chief executive at BrewDog, said: “We hold our hands up, we got the first gold can campaign wrong.”

Lost Password