The Portman Group has upheld a complaint against Quickie wine, made by a member of the public who expressed concerns over its clearly sexist branding.
The complainer also said the term ‘Quickie’ could encourage excessive or fast consumption of the beverage.
The label is a blatant copy of the cover design of ‘Quickie’, a pulp fiction novel written by Gerald Foster and published in 1950.
Unsurprisingly, the Group’s Independent Complaints Panel found the illustration of a buxom blonde wearing a skimpy camisole and adjusting her stockings as “objectifying and demeaning to women” and that it “caused serious offence based on gender and sex”.
However, despite the product’s name also falling foul of a Portman Group rule that bans any association with sexual activity or sexual success, the Panel found that, in this instance, the word ‘quickie’ didn’t encourage consumers to drink rapidly.
At the same time, the Panel also dismissed complaints against Little Pomona table cider.
Commenting on the decisions, Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel Nicola Williams said: “After extensive review of both products in question, the Panel came to fair and reasonable conclusions. We continue to diligently apply the stipulations of the Code, including when assessing two very different products against a varying range of rules.”
