Liquor brands will think twice about using "glitter", models with "youthful looks" and messages about "the morning after" in their advertising, after a complaint about a Vodka Cruiser advertisement on Instagram was upheld by the Advertising Standards Bureau.
The ad series was featured on Instagram and included an image of a young female model with glitter under her eyes, alongside the caption "How to cover your dark eye circles the morning after".
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Ads that top complaint list
Some complaints were upheld, some dismissed, in mid-year stats released by Australia's Advertising Standards Bureau in July.
Other images posted by the pre-mixed beverage brand depicted a cut-out love heart, colouring pencils and confetti.
The ads prompted a complaint from Cancer Council Victoria, which argued that they were primarily directed towards children, with one consisting "solely of an image of the face of a child who appears to be under 14 years of age".
"We are concerned this type of social media advertising is happening behind the scenes and alcohol brands are using it to target young people," Sarah Jackson, legal policy adviser for Cancer Council Victoria, said.
"Alcohol is a risk factor for several different types of cancer. We also know research consistently shows exposure to alcohol advertising leads young people to start drinking at a younger age, or more heavily."
In its complaint, Cancer Council Victoria argued that, while the Vodka Cruiser Instagram bio stated users must be "18+ to follow", it did not clearly state that "children under 18 years were not permitted to follow Vodka Cruiser, and there was nothing to prevent under 18s from doing so".
It also argued that the caption implied the girl was recovering from an alcohol binge the night before, which is "contrary to prevailing community standards on health and safety".
Cancer Council Victoria has also complained about Vodka Cruiser ads on Facebook.
The Advertising Standards Board upheld the complaint, noting that, while Vodka Cruiser is not directed to children 14 years or under, the advertisement would be appealing to young people due to the young age of the model and the use of glitter.
It also found the ad breached the Alcohol Beverage Advertising Code, which prohibits the use of people who look under 25.
"The use of a model who appears under the age of 18 promoting an alcoholic beverage ... coupled with the suggestion that heavy consumption of alcohol is acceptable, as you can just use glitter to cover your dark circles, is against ... responsible promotion and consumption of alcohol.
Asahi Premium Beverages, the manufacturer of Vodka Cruiser, accepted the determination and removed all related Instagram posts, "with no intention to be used again".
However, it pointed to its Instagram page, which stated that users needed to be 18+ to follow it.
"Since receiving the complaint we have amended to 'Must be age 18+ to follow & use our hashtags. Please don't share with those under the legal purchasing age for alcohol. Drink responsibly.' "
Asahi Premium Beverages acknowledged that the model looked under 25, but disagreed that she looked under 18.
Chief executive of the Advertising Standards Bureau, Fiona Jolly, said rules about advertising content were the same across all media channels.
"On social media, what we have to consider is who is going to see the ads. It's such a rapidly evolving medium that it's difficult for everyone to understand where the boundaries are," she said.
"On Instagram, an advertiser might say 'Don't share with people under the age of legal consumption,' but on that platform there isn't a control for that. So advertisers have to bear in mind the legal age of that platform, which is 13."
Ms Jolly said the bureau worked closely with sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Google to remove ads found to have breached the code.