A social media ad by boozy RTD brand Four Loko has been banned by the ASA for encouraging “uncontrolled and irresponsible” drinking.
The post, which went up in February 2025, showed a man with his head tipped back, pouring a can of Four Loko into his open mouth from a height. The accompanying caption included the phrase “send it” with three rocket emojis.
A complainant challenged whether the advert encouraged drinking alcohol unwisely.
Assessing the advert, the ASA noted Four Loko had an abv of 8.4% and the image therefore “showed a drinking style that would allow a large amount of alcohol to be consumed quickly, and in an uncontrolled and irresponsible manner”.
The text “send it”, “would be likely to be understood as representing speed and that reinforced the impression that the beverage should be consumed quickly”, it added.
It therefore concluded the ad encouraged a style of drinking that was unwise, breached the CAP Code and should not appear again in its current form.
“The image was taken at a summer music festival, and the caption was intended to reflect the enjoyment of consuming a Four Loko drink at such events,” said Clark McIlroy, MD of Four Loko distributor Red Star Brands. “However, we understand the ambiguity in the combination of the image and caption and immediately removed the post following ASA guidance.”
Four Loko took its responsibility to promote responsible drinking seriously, Mcllroy insisted.
“All our Four Loko cans are deliberately packaged in line with the Portman Group guidance on single-serve cans containing under four units of alcohol and do not contain any energy stimulants including caffeine,” he added.
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