Advertising Authority Orders Removal Of Olympian From Beer Ad

The New Zealand Advertising Standards Authority decided that former Olympic rower Eric Murray should not have been featured in beer advertisements because he is a "hero of the young," according to STUFF. The ASA ordered the Brewers Association of New Zealand to "remove Murray" from its "Beer the Beautiful Truth" ad campaign in a decision made on April 10. But alcohol harm reduction group Alcohol Healthwatch said that the decision took so long "the ad's damage had been done." Murray was "one of a number of Kiwi celebrities featured" in the campaign, which involved a website and other advertising. In a video on the website, he talked about drinking a beer after the birth of his child, saying, "I managed to sneak off with my father and my father-in-law for a celebratory beer and it's one of the best beers I've ever had" (STUFF, 4/24).