ASA bans Litty Liquor ads with rapper ArrDee for promoting excessive drinking

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned advertisements for Litty Liquor featuring rapper ArrDee, due to the promotion of excessive and irresponsible alcohol consumption and the inclusion of an individual under 25 years old. Two Instagram posts from December displayed ArrDee surrounded by bottles of spiced rum in a distillery, violating advertising regulations. Another post showcased a video of the rapper in a nightclub, sampling and rejecting two rum brands before creating his own mix. The nightclub scene then transitions to a lively party with the hashtag “#GETLIT” displayed alongside Litty Liquor products.

The ASA received a complaint regarding the ads’ breach of rules, featuring someone under 25 and promoting irresponsible alcohol consumption. Litty Liquor apologised for including ArrDee in the advertisements and acknowledged the potential misinterpretation of the “#GETLIT” phrase. The company stated its intention to promote its products responsibly and appropriately.

The ASA explained, “We understood that the word ‘lit’ had a long history of being used as a slang term for being drunk, and that it had also become popular within the rap music scene to indicate being intoxicated. We noted that in recent years the term ‘lit’ had also been used in rap music to mean that something was exciting, or of an excellent quality.” However, given the ad’s context, the ASA determined that consumers would likely associate the hashtag with alcohol consumption and intoxication.

The ASA concluded that the ad encouraged excessive drinking and breached the code, stating, “While we welcomed Litty Liquor’s removal of the ad, we concluded that the ad was irresponsible because it encouraged excessive drinking, and breached the code.”