South Korea’s HiteJinro has come under fire from the Portman Group in the UK after its recent promotional activity was found to “suggest an association with sexual activity and social success”.
The alcohol marketing watchdog found the tagline ‘Easy to Drink, Drink to Link’ in an out-of-home ad for the Jinro soju brand in London breached its code. The brand owner has since confirmed that the promotion will not appear with the line ‘Drink to Link’ in the UK again.
In response to a complaint lodged with the Portman Group, HiteJinro explained the phrase was used to convey Jinro’s global compatibility where “consumers could enjoy an alcoholic beverage alongside food, family, friends colleagues and places”.
Nevertheless, the industry-funded organisation deemed the context of the term ‘link’ as a slang word to refer to having intercourse with a romantic partner in a discreet manner.
“This is a timely reminder that the Portman Group’s Code of Practice applies to all alcohol marketed in the UK, and not just that of UK producers,” said Portman’s panel chair, Rachel Childs. “While the panel accepted that both breaches of the code were inadvertent in this instance, producers should bear in mind that where there is often a lack of context in promotional activity, some phrases may have multiple meanings and that it’s important to be mindful of cultural differences.”
Late last year, the organisation deemed that marketing material for Accolade Wine’s Jam Shed brand did not “encourage irresponsible and immoderate consumption” as claimed by a complainant.
