Heineken sorry for Bulmers advert blunder

Brewing giant Heineken has apologised after it mistakenly used a photograph of a teetotal clergyman in an advert for its Bulmers cider brand.

Bulmers had hoped to celebrate its long history by printing a photograph of Reverend CH Bulmer, who 120 years ago gave his sons the money to start up the business. The advert was produced with the line: “We hope he’d be proud”, next to the black and white picture.

Unfortunately for the brand the photograph was not of Reverend Bulmer, the man in the picture is Hugh Price-Hughes a teetotal Methodist clergyman who spent his life helping alcoholics.

Heineken had already spent tens of thousands of pounds on advertising, before the mistake was spotted in GQ magazine.

Reverend Val Reid is minister at the Hinde Street Methodist Church which is home to the West London Mission founded by Price-Hughes, told the BBC that the mistake was spotted by one of her congregation. Reid said that she tried to contact Heineken after the mistake, but after that proved unsuccessful she contacted the Advertising Standards Authority and Heineken then got in touch.

Reid told the BBC: “One of the things Hugh Price-Hughes was interested in when he founded the West London Mission was his work with some of the poorest people.

We were very concerned that his image was being used to promote cider.”

She added: “[Heineken] have been extraordinarily gracious in dealing with it. They have pulled all the ads straight away.”

Heineken said: “We fully appreciated the distress caused”, adding that it will make a donation to the church in Carmarthen where Price-Hughes was minister in the 1870s.