Online retailer Beer52 has apologised after releasing a sponsored social media post urging drinkers “not to get robbed at the beer tap”.
It didn’t take long for a Twitter storm to develop, with the business being slammed for what seemed like a stance against the great independent craft beer and bottle shops up and down the nation.
For CAMRA members the offence was compounded by the organisation offering members a Black Friday Beer52 deal, offering ten free beers for just £5.95 postage, a deal no beer shop can sensibly match, or, it could be argued, should be trying to.
Early on Friday afternoon, Beer52 apologised for the ad, saying it should not have been published as “it does not reflect our viewsor our approach to promoting our brand”.
The placing of the advert is put down to ” a genuine oversight for which we are sorry”. Beer52 adds: “The team that runs our Google ads tests large volumes of different ad copy, and our process for reviewing these will now be much more tightly controlled by our marketing team to ensure they match our values.”
In its statement, the company affirms its ful support for the independent beer-selling community, and points to articles supoorting the sector in its Ferment magazine, sent out with beer orders.
“We commit to our ongoing support of independent craft breweries, taprooms, bottle shops, and all of the small businesses who make up the industry we love,” the statement concludes. “We thank you for your understanding and apologise again for this genuine mistake.”