Kray twins pump clip breaks marketing rules

Dark Conspiracy beer has breached alcohol responsibility rules for featuring East End gangsters, the Kray twins, on its pump clips.

A member of the public submitted the complaint about Dark Conspiracy which is brewed by Ramsgate Brewery.

The producer explained that the image – originating from a David Bailey photograph – had been chosen to reflect the style and origin of the beer and was meant to illustrate the name of the product by conjuring up thoughts of the famous conspiracy between gangsters, the press and politicians.

The Independent Complaints Panel (ICP) concluded that there were more appropriate images that could be used to illustrate the conspiracy connection.

Furthermore, the panel felt that the Kray twins were linked with violence and aggression and were still relevant and contemporary figures. The fact that the company had used the image suggested that the company still thought they were relevant.

Henry Ashworth, chief executive of the Portman Group, which provides the secretariat for the Independent Complaints Panel, said: “There is a tough self-regulatory Code in the UK which stops alcohol being marketed through association with violent or aggressive behaviour. Original and innovative marketing is a world-class British export and should not be stifled by regulation, but the alcohol industry must show, through a strict set of regulations, that it can market its products responsibly. Producers must exercise careful judgement in this area.”

Ramsgate Brewery cooperated swiftly with the ruling and agreed to cease the use of the image on the pump clips with immediate effect.