Editorial: Drinks advertising needs to be 'whiter than white'.(Editorial)(Brief article)

As warning shots go, it was a loud one. When the Advertising Standards Authority banned two drinks commercials last week, it was not messing about.

The first was a campaign for WKD, the Beverage Brands product, which has taken a very laddish approach to advertising for some years now. The second, which has caused more of a hoo-hah, was for Diageo's Smirnoff Ice.

Now companies of the British establishment such as Diageo do not like being accused of flouting any rules. It follows that the drinks giant has complained loudly about the ruling, and is setting up an independent review.

Indeed, both campaigns only got on air because they seemed to fit within advertising guidelines for alcoholic brands. There was no demonstrable sexual prowess and, especially in the Smirnoff case, the drinks were being handled responsibly. Both campaigns, naturally, had been cleared by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre.

It seems that the real bone of contention, though, is that the ASA felt the ads ...