A number of pubs in England and Scotland have been reprimanded by the advertising watchdog for breaking strict alcohol rules by encouraging excessive drinking. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned three Instagram posts and a Facebook post for The Hive, a nightclub in Edinburgh, which included text such as: “Not only do I dance like nobody is watching, I also drink as if I don’t work in the morning,” and “Drinks from £1.”
City Clubs (Edinburgh), trading as The Hive, said they accepted that the posts were not socially responsible and had removed them. The ASA noted that all the posts included a caption that gave the prices of drinks alongside details about events that were being held at The Hive.
It said: “We acknowledged that the ads were intended to be light-hearted. However, we considered they nonetheless condoned and encouraged excessive drinking and therefore were socially irresponsible and breached the Code.”
