Abstinence

Advertising messages for alcoholic beverages may not portray abstinence of alcohol consumption or moderate alcohol consumption negatively, nor may the advertising of alcoholic beverages be contrasted favourably against any non-alcoholic beverage.

Guidelines to Article 2 – Abstinence

Abstinence or moderate alcohol consumption may not be portrayed negatively. People may not be challenged to take up drinking if they do not choose to do so themselves.

Under certain conditions it is permitted to offer a passer-by beer

In the commercial ‘Automatiek’ two Belgians are making an effort to promote Palm beer in the Netherlands. Henk and Bert stop a passer-by who just took a minced-meat hot dog from an automat. They put him at a table on the street where an extensive lunch is served, together with a glass of Palm beer. Then a voice over says: ‘Become a Burgundian too. Palm, pure authentic beer’. The RCC (Dutch Advertising Code Committee) judged that because of the humouristically intended exaggeration, there was no question of a negative portrayal of the abstinence of alcohol consumption.