'Accrington Stanley' vodka parody ad banned Published duration 8 March 2017

image copyright Black Cow/PA image caption The 'Accrington Stanley' parody advert featured the same actor who appeared in the 1980s original

Three adverts for a Dorset farm's vodka, including a parody of the celebrated "Accrington Stanley" milk ad from the 80s, have been banned.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received two complaints about the commercials for Black Cow vodka.

One of the films was a parody of the Milk Marketing Board's 1989 milk advert featuring Carl Rice. Now aged 36, Rice reprises his role in the vodka skit.

But the ad was deemed socially irresponsible by watchdog chiefs.

'Who are they?'

In the original dairy promotion , two Liverpudlian boys who have been playing football race into a kitchen.

One teases his mate for drinking milk, but he retorts that Anfield legend Ian Rush reckoned people who didn't drink milk would "only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley".

The ad popularised the catchphrase: "Accrington Stanley? Who are they?... Exactly!"

Ruling on the parody, the ASA said: "While we noted that this was a literal recreation of the original advert and that some viewers would recognise the element of satire, we considered that the large quantity of vodka depicted, and the replacement of the empty bottles with full ones, was nonetheless still likely to be understood as implying and encouraging excessive drinking."

image copyright Black Cow/PA image caption The ASA found the meadow advert broke the advertising code by linking alcohol with sexual activity

Another advert to fall foul of the censors showed a man and woman walking through a meadow and glancing at each other, and then a depression in some long grass.

It was axed for linking alcohol to sexual activity.

And the ASA said the product's catchline: "So smooth you can drink it until the cows come home," implied people could drink more of it.

Black Cow said its product was "super premium" and not intended to be consumed in excess.

It added it had been surprised by the bans as it thought the adverts were "quite fun and witty", but accepted the ASA ruling.

Beaminster dairy farmer Jason Barber, who invented the drink, added: "We don't want to milk the point, but we were rather surprised to be chased by these complaints."

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