Email’s frosty response
Club rebuked over ‘fun’ festive promo
A GOLD Coast nightclub has been given a slap on the wrist by the federal advertising watchdog for a raunchy twoyear-old Christmas email to patrons.
The Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code Scheme found Cocktails Nightclub at Surfers Paradise twice breached the marketing code in emails sent in December 2018.
The emails found to be in breach had subject lines such as: “Ho-Ho-Holy S--t I’m drunk” and “Alcohol is not in my Vodkabulary”.
According to the adjudicator, though the emails could be seen as humorous, the humour comes from it being funny that people drink to excess, or being affected by excessive consumption.
The complaints had been made in February this year. It is not known why it took so long for the reader to raise concern about the issue.
“It is fair say that Australians have a robust sense of humour and the email subject lines would be understood accordingly,” the adjudicator said regarding the case.
“That said, there are countless ways in which marketing communications can be crafted in a creative, humorous and engaging manner without the humour needing to assume that drinking excessively is a shared and acceptable experience.”
In response to the ruling and emails, Cocktails Nightclub management said it was attempting to be funny to create greater engagement with
SURFERS have cashed in on Sydney’s wild weather that has produced swell on the Gold Coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for damaging surf for NSW on Wednesday after low pressure over the Tasman Sea created huge swell.
A wave rider buoy just offshore of Sydney recorded peak waves exceeding 10 metres on Tuesday night.
The Gold Coast has caught the tail end of the extreme swell and local surfers are loving it.
Samuel Mazoudier lives next to Surfers Paradise beach and went out for a surf with some friends Wednesday morning. “We surfed right off Surfers beach, it was pretty good out there,” the 21-year-old said.
The Griffith University student has heard the Gold Coast points are “going off” and said he’ll clear some time from his marine science study to check them out.
“I reckon a few of us might head to the points tomorrow because the surf is meant to get even better,” he said.
Andrew McKinnon said the surf at Cabarita headland was incredible but not for the faint hearted.
“The local surfers were towing in on surf two to four metres, they were catching big barrels and walls,” he said.
“Light northerly wind today creating a bit of chatter in the wave face. Stronger south west to south east winds are forecast for Thursday and Friday, making it better for the Gold Coast point breaks.” the audience. The club also argued that “Ho-Ho-Holy S--t I’m drunk” had been used by other companies on T-shirts and mugs, and that Vodkabulary wasn’t a real word. It was used to make an interesting subject line.
“I genuinely hope these subject lines did not cause distress to anyone and I apologise if the lines had been blurred between what is considered humorous and what is encouraging rapid intoxication,” a spokesman for the club said.
“I am hoping that since these complaints are from emails that are two years old, that we have since gotten better at sending catchy email subject lines without breaching the liquor licencing act.”
Three other emails that were included in the complaint against the club were dismissed.