Marks & Spencer has been ordered to change the name of its Porn Star Martini drink because it breached an industry code linking alcohol to sexual activity.
The passion fruit-based vodka mix – launched by the UK supermarket chain last September – is being rebranded Passion Star Martini and will be rolled out into M&S stores over the next three months.
In a ruling last month, the Portman Group, the UK’s alcohol watchdog funded by the industry – upheld a single complaint by a member of the public. It stated that M&S’s £2.25 Porn Star Martini in a can “contravenes the Portman Code” in that it breached section 3.2d in which an alcoholic product “suggests any association with sexual activity or sexual success”.
The original complainant noted: “If you continue to allow this, it will open the floodgates to others eg Sex on the Beach, Slippery Nipple, Sloe Comfortable Screw, Liquid Viagra etc.”
The complainant expressed concern that the product used the words Porn Star, which links the alcoholic product to sexual success, because “porn stars” are idolised as people who have sexual success and are paid for doing so.
The Portman Group’s independent complaints panel said that while there was nothing else on the packaging that created an association with sexual activity, the name Porn Star Martini was enough of a link “because of the established definition of a ‘porn star’ – an actor/actress famous for appearing in pornographic films which by their nature contained sexual activity.”.
However, the drink – devised in 2002 by mixologist Douglas Ankrah is widely available in cocktail bars across the UK.
A Marks & Spencer spokesperson said: “Porn Star Martini is a common name for a passion fruit cocktail drink. Our product launched in September 2018 and quickly became one of our most popular cocktails. However, as a Portman Group co-signatory, we respect the ruling and will be changing the name to Passion Star Martini.”
Commenting on the decision, a Portman Group spokesperson said: “This … reminds producers that they should always steer away from using imagery or names that are associated with sexual activity in marketing and labelling. Producers should think carefully about what is conveyed by the overall impression of the product and speak to our advisory service if in any doubt. We are pleased that the Marks & Spencer Group have been working with us to amend the name of the product.”
In a parallel crackdown, the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) recently called time on beers that feature sexist names or imagery at its flagship annual event, the Great British beer festival, to stamp out outdated discriminatory attitudes.
Drinks that have fallen victim to crude stereotyping – such as Slack Alice, a cider described as “a little tart” and pump clips featuring scantily clad buxom women – were banned from the event at London’s Olympia.
