Advertise Alcohol Responsibly with LAPPS Pre-Vetting

Advertising and promotion of alcohol in New Zealand must meet a high standard of social responsibility. The Liquor Advertising & Promotion Pre-vetting Service (LAPPS) was created to help ensure those standards are met.

Established by the Association of New Zealand Advertisers (ANZA), LAPPS is supported by brand owners, retailers, media, and advertising agencies who are committed to responsible alcohol marketing.

LAPPS helps advertisers, agencies, and media meet the requirements of the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) Code for Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol, along with other relevant legislation and codes.

In addition to rules for advertising the ASA Code also covers:

• Naming

• Labelling

• Packaging

• Promotion of alcohol brands and products

As a consequence, LAPPS also approves these elements of the marketing mix.

By using LAPPS, brands can help maintain both their legal right and social licence to market alcohol products responsibly to consumers.

ANZA administers LAPPS on behalf of the industry, providing an independent, robust pre-vetting process to ensure alcohol advertising is compliant with codes and legislation before media placement.

LAPPS is supported by all major media platforms and the Commercial Communications Council (Comms Council).

The definition of alcohol advertising and promotion in New Zealand is intentionally broad.

The ASA defines Alcohol Advertising and Promotion as:

Any message, including naming, labelling and packaging, where the content is controlled directly or indirectly by the alcohol advertiser, expressed in any language and communicated in any medium, with the intent to influence the choice, opinion or behaviour of those to whom it is addressed, for the purpose of promoting alcohol:

• Products or brands, including use of colour, imagery, audio, or language associated with the product or brand; or

• Producers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, licensing trusts, licensed clubs, retailers, or premises 

The ASA Code applies not only to brands and products but also to any advertisement referencing licensed premises if the intent is to promote alcohol consumption.

When an advertiser controls the content of a message – directly or indirectly – to influence the choice, opinion or behaviour of a consumer, the ASA considers that the content is likely to be advertising. In addition to traditional  media and digital platforms, this also includes the use of influencers, blogs and vlogs, in-game promotions, advertiser websites and social pages, advertorials and ‘native advertising.’

Specific ASA Code rules apply to sponsorship advertising and promotion. The ASA defines Alcohol Sponsorship Advertising and Promotion as:

Any message where the content is controlled directly or indirectly by the alcohol advertiser, expressed in any language and communicated in any medium, with the purpose of promoting the sponsored party.