A Wellington craft brewery has publicly criticised the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after one complaint over teddy bear illustrations on its beer cans resulted in the designs being ruled in breach of advertising standards.
According to a report by Stuff, the dispute began after a shopper complained to the ASA upon seeing the beer cans in the alcohol section of Pak'nSave Kilbirnie. The complaint questioned whether the packaging complied with rules requiring alcohol to be marketed only to adults.
The Advertising Standards Authority's Complaints Board upheld the complaint in July 2025, finding that the teddy bear imagery did not appeal specifically to adults and that the labels failed to meet the standards of social responsibility required under the Alcohol Advertising and Promotion Code, Stuff has quoted.
The brewery, Abandoned Brewery, had argued that the worn teddy bears reflected its brand identity and symbolised abandoned objects rather than children's toys. However, the board concluded that although consumers might appreciate the play on the words "bear" and "beer," the designs were not appropriate for alcohol marketing, Stuff has reported.
Nearly a year later, the brewery responded with a tongue-in-cheek social media campaign mocking the ruling. The video, presented as a televised apology, featured Abandoned Brewery founder Tim Ward delivering a deliberately sarcastic statement.
“I want to say to each of you simply and directly, I and Abandoned Brewery are deeply sorry for the irresponsible and selfish behaviour we’ve been engaged in,” Ward says, with more than a hint of irony, as quoted by Stuff.
“It was a bit of harmless fun, a silly little play on words combined with images of once loved and now abandoned fluffy friends.”
As Ward addressed the camera from behind a podium, the sound of photographers' cameras clicking played in the background.
“Thankfully, we’ve had our eyes opened by a single virtuous customer and the Advertising Standards Authority, my personal and favourite advertising industry regulator,” Stuff has quoted.
The brewery also accompanied the video with a caption promoting its remaining stock of the now-banned cans.
“We still, however, have a small amount of stock of these despicable cans left.
”And as a form of repentance (if you’re of legal drinking age), you can head into either of our taprooms and grab a can or two at a large discount, just don’t let your kids see them…”, as quoted by Stuff.
Responding to the controversy, an Abandoned Brewery spokesperson insisted the company had never intended to appeal to children and argued that playful branding is common across the craft beer industry.
“We’re a craft beer brand, so obviously we never set out to target under-5s. The whole idea was a visual pun on the word beer by showing well-worn, abandoned bears,” they said, as quoted by Stuff.
“But whatever. If you were to take umbrage with cartoon characters, bright colours or any other visual language that may be classified as ‘kiddie’, then half the labels out there would be stuffed,” as quoted by Stuff.
The Advertising Standards Authority declined to comment on the matter.
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