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An advert by a Manchester bar that showed Barney the Dinosaur alongside the phrase “T-wrecked” has been banned for encouraging irresponsible and underage drinking.
The paid-for post, which appeared on Meta in May for MOJO Manchester, featured the purple children’s TV character with the text: “ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA, FLOOR – Barney.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that while the ad was designed to be humorous, it “encouraged excessive drinking” and was likely to appeal to under-18s.
In its response, MOJO, run by Voodoo Doll Ltd, denied any wrongdoing. The company argued that its audience on Meta was restricted to adults and that the image of Barney would resonate with those who grew up watching the 1980s and 1990s children’s programme. The post, they said, was intended as “an amusing cautionary tale” and a way of sparking light-hearted discussion among customers, not encouraging alcohol misuse.
“We are resolute in our belief that we made no attempt to encourage underage consumption of alcohol nor its consumption in excess,” the firm said.
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However, the ASA found that Barney’s bright colours and playful appearance were likely to appeal to children. It also noted that the ad was displayed on a platform where users self-declare their age without robust verification, and no extra measures had been taken to prevent under-18s from seeing it.
In its ruling, the watchdog said: “We acknowledged that the ad was intended to be amusing in tone. However, we considered it nonetheless encouraged excessive drinking and therefore breached the code.”
The ASA concluded that the ad must not appear again “in the form complained of”.
MOJO criticised the decision, saying: “The overwhelming response to the post was one of good-natured amusement. Exactly what we had sought. We believe the ASA have erred in their judgement on this matter and risk drifting into the realms of censorship.”