This controversial poster advertisement was meant for promoting Tiger Beer, which attracted several complaints in Ireland. The advertisement titled, ‘By the neck’ has shown a man stretched backward and naked from the waist up and a female grasping his neck with one hand and an open blade of a ‘cut throat’, shaving razor to his throat in the other hand. One of the complaints observed that while the woman seems to be shaving the man, but no saving cream is visible on his face and alleged that the advertisement gave the impression that it was acceptable behavior to drink Tiger Beer and hold a knife to another person’s throat.
Another complaint held that the advertisement was extremely violent in nature and therefore offensive. It also extended that holding a razor to anyone’s throat in a public advertisement was not acceptable. As a matter of fact, there was no apparent connection between the illustration and the beer. The ASA upheld the complaints and ordered immediate withdrawal of the advertisement in present form.
