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Dewar’s removes offensive commercial

Dewar’s has responded to widespread calls to remove an “offensive” commercial for its Scotch brand from YouTube, after viewers branded it “sexist” and “demeaning”.

Dewars Meet The Baron commercial has been removed from YouTube following a torrent of negative feedback

The commercial, entitled Meet the Baron, has been criticised recently for degrading women in its bid to target young, “trendy” male Scotch drinkers.

While most took to Twitter to voice their opinions on the commercial, whisky writer Johanne McInnis created an online petition to lobby for its ban.

Dewar’s had initiallly failed to respond to requests for comment on the situation, however last night it issued the following statement: “While we strive to be inclusive of many demographics, we have a wide array of consumers who respond to a variety of unique and focused marketing messages, in different ways.

“The Baron – represents a camaraderie that is important to our target consumer, and is one character under ‘The Drinking Man’s Scotch’ campaign, which features a strong and successful female icon as the spokesperson for the brand.

“We understand our promotions may not always appeal to everyone; however, it is feedback that allows us to continuously evaluate our marketing efforts – upon further review we have decided to remove the video from our YouTube page.”

It is thought the commercial may have breached the DISCUS Code of Responsible Practices, which states: “Beverage alcohol advertising and marketing materials should not degrade the image, form, or status of women, men, or of any ethnic, minority, sexually-oriented, religious, or other group.”

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