This would never happen in America but a spokesman for Brazil’s independent advertising industry regulator Conar said on Tuesday new guidelines which require that ads for alcoholic drinks should “avoid the use of eroticism” will come into force within three months.
The new restrictions listed on the Internet site of Brazil’s National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation, or Conar, also say beer and wine ads run between 6 am and 9:30 pm should also avoid any symbols that might be attractive to youngsters, such as cartoon characters.
Adverts for alcoholic drinks should also only feature people, “who are and seem older than 25 years of age,” a move which could prove to be a blow to young models whose careers are frequently launched by an appearance in a bikini to launch one of the nation’s brews.
The world’s fifth-largest brewer Companhia de Bebidas das Americas, better known as AmBev, and rival Kaiser, which is owned by Canada’s Molson Inc, routinely bombard Brazilians with ads featuring scantily-clad women and quirky cartoon mascots to promote their beers. I thought Brazil was the place where nudity and pride of the body was part of the culture. Is the whole world going PC?
Both brewers declined comment on the new ad guidelines.
