During its 350th meeting, held on October 8, 2024, the Advertising Board made significant decisions regarding the association of hashtags and emblems used in social media content with alcoholic beverages.
The decisions stated that certain hashtags in Instagram posts, as well as an emblem added to some videos that was unrelated to the content, were considered to create an organic connection with an alcoholic beverage brand. Furthermore, it was mentioned that beer products appeared in the videos.
In accordance with legislation prohibiting any form of advertising or promotion of brands, emblems, or symbols associated with the production, import, or marketing of alcoholic beverages, the content in question was deemed non-compliant. Consequently, the Board ordered the cessation of the advertisements and imposed an administrative fine of 550,059 TL on the advertiser.
These decisions reaffirm the strict regulatory oversight of alcoholic beverage advertising and underscore the Board’s meticulous examination of even implicit associations with alcoholic beverage brands or related industries. It was emphasized that covert or indirect advertisements on social media platforms are subject to severe penalties when found to violate the regulations.
Please see this link for the full text of the said decisions (Only available in Turkish).
