Skip to main content

Amstel Lite container will ‘not be replaced’

| Wine and liquor

The Amstel Lite beer can will not be replaced nor amended in the market‚ Brandhouse Beverages announced.

Brandhouse successfully won its appeal against an Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruling earlier this year to withdraw the Amstel Lite can and shrink wrap from the market as they was too similar to South African Breweries’ (SAB’s) Castle Lite.

SAB had complained to the ASA that the silver and green that Brandhouse used for its Amstel Lite cans was "almost identical to the signature combination in the Castle Lite packaging".

BDlive reported in February that the ASA said Castle Lite had "exclusively" used its colours as well as the word "Lite" for more than 20 years‚ and that "the use of similar elements by Amstel Lite has effectively done away with the uniqueness of these features on the Castle Lite packaging".

Brandhouse appealed this ruling‚ and the Advertising Industry Tribunal (AIT) "upheld our appeal in respect of the Amstel Lite can‚ finding that ‘the Castle Lite can is distinctive enough for a reasonable consumer to differentiate the products’‚" said corporate relations director Michael Mabasa.

"This ruling is good news for our consumers because the current silver and green Amstel Lite can design and the use of the word ‘Lite’ will not be amended nor withdrawn from the market. The AIT’s ruling has effectively validated our designs and, as a result‚ averted any potential confusion in the minds of our consumers"‚ said Mr Mabasa.

It did not all go in Brandhouse’s favour‚ as the Advertising Industry Tribunal held that "the similarity between (the Amstel Lite and Castle Lite shrink wraps) creates the likelihood of confusion".

But‚ "the ASA ruling simply calls for more differentiation on the plastic shrink-wrap to avoid any potential confusion"‚ said Mr Mabasa.

"We accept this ruling and will be making some design changes to the Amstel Lite shrink wrap to ensure it’s even more distinct."

RDM News Wire

Pin It

Related Articles

This week, Makro has launched its Festive liquor catalogue for 2023 - which its buyers explain is carefully crafted around local and international consumer trends. This year, the retailer managed to secure exclusive products from brands such as De...
Checkers has added 41 new limited edition wines to its Odd Bins collection, of which two were awarded Double Gold and Gold at the prestigious Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards earlier this month. 
South African consumers will have to dig deeper in their pockets at the tills this festive season, with food prices set to rise on the back of rising petrol prices, feed, and input costs.
Filling a 45-litre tank will cost South African motorists around R55 more from tomorrow (3 November 2021).
CRM global leader Salesforce predicted that consumers would face higher prices this coming Festive Season.