Company: Lancaster Group
Breach: No
Final Decision: 24 September 1996
Considered under the first edition of the Code.
Complaint Summary
“The name of this product is of concern due to its use of a standard soft drink term. While the product descriptor does attempt to clarify that the drink is alcoholic, the brand name, by which the drink is known, is so obviously based on the generic soft drinks term ‘Cola’ that it is blatantly alluding to under 18s culture and on that basis is more likely to appeal to under 18s than adults.”
Complainant
Alcohol Concern
Decision
The company, The Lancaster Group, said that the existing label clearly states that the product is an alcoholic cola with and alcohol content of 5.5% ABV. The company also made a number of points concerning pricing and targeting of the product that were not considered relevant to the complaint.
It was considered that the labelling and packaging were sufficiently clear that a confusion with soft drink Cola was unlikely.
NOT UPHELD
Action by Company
The manufacturer’s written offer to review the labelling to highlight further the alcoholic nature of the product was welcomed.