The defendant claims this is not his intention at all. The message is merely meant as a joke and was shared by accident. The Advertising Commission agrees with this. The message was clearly a joke and if anything ridicules excessive alcohol consumption.
However, liking messages is a form of advertising. The message should have contained a disclaimer “No 18, No alcohol” or something of the kind. A disclaimer is obligated, also for use on the internet, which includes liked messages on Facebook. The message is therefore in contravention with paragraph 33 of the Advertising Code and the advertiser was requested on to advertise in this way any longer.
