Brewdog suffers fresh blow as advert is BANNED as brand reels from pub closures

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

Scottish craft brewery BrewDog has had an advert banned for implying that alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or disappointment.
It comes as the firm, best known for its trademark Punk IPA pale ale, closes 10 of its bars across the UK, including the first one it ever opened.
The ad for the brewing firm's Wingman beer, seen in May, featured the headline: 'Brewdog. Always Got Your Back'.
Alluding to troubles like bad weather, a friend being late and WiFi failure, the craft beer company inferred its Wingman Session IPA could be the answer to these problems.
The text said: 'Some things in life go AWOL - WiFi fails, the weather turns hostile, and your buddy's "five minutes" turns into a full-scale delay.
'But Wingman? Wingman stands firm. Always on station, always mission-ready, always got your back. Because every great operation deserves a great Wingman.'
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has since banned the ad after receiving a complaint that it implied that alcohol was a remedy for disappointment, suffering and isolation.
BrewDog said the ad did not imply that the beer provided comfort, relief or escape from any form of distress, and positioned the product as being of reliable quality rather than a remedy or coping mechanism.
BrewDog has announced last month it would close 10 bars across the UK including its Camden branch (pictured) as its financial performance stalls in a challenging market
It also did not believe the ad claimed or implied that the beer had any therapeutic or mood-altering effects or that the ad suggested alcohol was essential or a priority in life.
The ASA acknowledged that the ad had an air force theme, including the product's name, references to 'always on station, always mission-ready', and some of the imagery, which included a bird wearing a flying jacket, helmet and goggles.
The watchdog noted BrewDog's comments that the ad positioned Wingman Session IPA as being of reliable quality, and acknowledged that the scenarios presented in the ad - WiFi outages, unexpected bad weather and a friend running late - were mundane and everyday annoyances.
It said: 'However, we considered that those scenarios, which would likely result in a person having to wait for an outcome outside of their control and having their day interrupted in a negative way, were likely to result in people feeling frustrated and bored, potentially lonely and would be likely to be viewed as problematic.
'We considered that although the ad used metaphorical language to evoke Wingman's reliability, consistency and a sense of camaraderie, the scenarios presented were real-life problems that were likely to impact people in a negative way and the implication was that Wingman was a solution to overcoming those problems that were likely to result in boredom, frustration and potentially loneliness.
'For those reasons, we considered the ad implied that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems and concluded it breached the code.'
The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: 'We told BrewDog to ensure their future ads did not imply that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems.'
A spokesman for BrewDog said: 'We acknowledge the ASA's ruling on our recent Wingman advert and we are disappointed with the outcome, which we believe does not reflect the spirit or intent behind the campaign.'
However, the beer company confirmed that it 'won't be running the ad again'.
Earlier this year, staff at 10 of BrewDog's bars were told they would be moving locations or be 'leaving the business' as the brewery planned to close the sites.
The news came as CEO James Taylor told investors that BrewDog's financials did not make for 'happy reading'.
Mr Taylor, who is the second new CEO to take over since founder James Watt stepped back amidst a flurry of accusations of improper conduct, has previously warned the firm is likely to report a pre-tax loss for 2024.
And the chain had started the year by closing six pubs across the world, including two in England, three in Europe and one in England.
BrewDog has weathered a number of publicity storms in recent years as its reputation has taken a hammering.
But it has also faced stiff competition from new entrants into the 'craft beer' market.
Among the bars closing was BrewDog's first commercial pub based in Gallowgate in Aberdeen, close to their headquarters in Ellon, Aberdeenshire - as well as one in Dundee.
Three bars in London also closed: Camden, the first one opened in the capital, as well as branches in the trendy Shoreditch district and Shepherd's Bush.
Pubs in Brighton, Leeds' North Street, Oxford, Sheffield and York shut their doors too.
A note circulated to staff by Mr Taylor states that the focus will turn to 'destination hubs' such as those in Waterloo - which features a bowling alley and a large spiral slide - and smaller 'community bars'.
'We are working hard to minimise the impact on our people, and we expect to redeploy many affected team members across the BrewDog network,' he said.
'For those leaving the business, we're providing as much support as possible during this transition.'
And writing on the 'Equity for Punks' investor forum, Mr Taylor said the company's headline financial numbers 'do not make for happy reading'.
'There's still a lot of work ahead to do across our business. But I'm confident that H2 (year half two) will reflect the progress we're making. We're on the right path, doing the right things and the results will follow,' he said.
BrewDog was accused by Unite Hospitality of giving staff as little as 'three days' notice that their bar would close.
BrewDog co-founder James Watt stepped back as CEO in 2024, months after a complaint over a BBC documentary outlining allegations against him was dropped
A spokesperson for the brewery said staff were going through a 'meaningful and appropriate consultation' that would last at least 14 days.
Bryan Simpson, of Unite, which represents BrewDog staff, said: 'For Brewdog to give loyal workers less than four days' notice of the closure of their workplace is not just morally repugnant, it is potentially unlawful.'
He added that Unite are 'supporting our members across these 10 sites to collectively challenge these redundancies, and we would urge anyone impacted to reach out to us for legal support.'
A spokesperson for BrewDog said: 'We can confirm that following a review of our bars business we have made the difficult decision to close 10 bars – which reflects a more focused strategy and a rationalisation of our bar footprint.
'Despite our best efforts, and the hard work of our teams, it has simply not been possible to make these bars commercially viable.
'We are working hard to minimise the impact on our people, and we expect to redeploy many affected team members across the BrewDog network.
'For those leaving the business, we're providing as much support as possible during this transition.'
In June, the firm reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of £7.5million for 2024 - and has admitted that its conventional pre-tax profit measure will show 'a loss'.
BrewDog is on its third CEO in just over a year after James Watt stepped back from the role in May 2024, three months after Ofcom rejected a complaint he had lodged against the BBC after it made a documentary outlining misconduct allegations.
He denied claims that he made female bartenders feel 'uncomfortable' and 'powerless' and that he would take intoxicated women on private late-night tours of the brewery.
He then married Made In Chelsea media personality Georgia Toffolo earlier this year, and has become a frequent critic of the Labour government on LinkedIn.
The self-described BrewDog 'Captain' faced a number of improper conduct allegations in 2021 concerning female staff, and was revealed to have invested in Heineken, contrasting with his brewery's anti-establishment 'punk' image.
Months before he quit, he announced that the firm would paying staff the 'real' Living Wage as calculated by the Resolution Foundation as it struggled to turn a profit.
The firm is continuing to weather accusations of an image problem after ditching its claim to be 'carbon negative' after it ditched offsetting schemes that it claimed were both too expensive and not efficient enough to justify the label.
It had already been criticised for using the label by advertising watchdogs, and was slammed by environmentalists for its claim of creating a carbon-negative forest in Scotland after it was revealed half of the 500,000 saplings had already died.
Despite this, CEO James Taylor told the Grocer in June that he did not believe the firm had an image problem.
He said: 'It's boring to focus on data, but the data says consumers think of us as a business that produces really high-quality beer. That's how we're perceived by the vast majority of the public.'
Alongside Punk IPA, BrewDog produces a range of beers as well as spirits. It bought cider producer Hawkes in 2018 but has since mothballed cider production.