It was in the middle of December that bar owner Anders Helvik Kristensen in Rosendal shared a Facebook post inviting him to a Santa party. When the liquor control came to visit a few days later, the bar received one point for advertising alcohol. The invitation contained an emoji of an orange drink with a straw and lime, after the text that “perhaps Santa will come by with some goodies for the people”. – Thought it was meat Kristensen was disappointed. – At first I thought it was nonsense. Is it bullshit, I thought, Kristensen told news. The case also hit a nerve in the Progress Party. Storting representative Helge André Njåstad reacted and put a written question to Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap): “Does the minister agree that an emoji is alcohol advertising?” Helge André Njåstad (Frp) calls the emoji penalty idiotic bureaucracy. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – The fact that we are prohibited from advertising completely legal products at all is completely idiotic, says Njåstad on the phone from a bar in Southern Norway with a glass of Cola Zero. The Minister of Health: – Considered alcohol advertising Earlier in the day, Njåstad had received a reply from the Minister of Health. She wrote: “When it comes to the question of whether the use of emojis can be considered alcohol advertising, this must be assessed concretely on a case-by-case basis. The ban on alcohol advertising cannot be circumvented by using illustrations or the like. The decisive factor will be whether the purpose of the communication is to promote the sale of alcohol.” Bar-On’s post which led to the dot of the pub control. At the bar, write that Santa might come by with goodies for the people, followed by a drink emoji. Photo: Screenshot Facebook Ho concluded as follows: “If there is mass communication for marketing purposes, the information, including alcohol-related emojis, will be considered alcohol advertising according to the alcohol regulations.” And about the point charge, Kjerkol wrote: “If the municipality comes to the conclusion that the advertising ban in the Alcohol Act has been violated, it follows from the alcohol regulations that the pub must be awarded one point for the violation.” Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol says alcohol-related emojis in mass marketing are alcohol advertising. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB – Plaguing the business world Njåstad calls the response “incredibly disappointing”. – She answers like a bureaucrat. That she defends that an emoji is an alcohol advertisement is completely contrary to common sense, he says. – What if a bar entices with “goodies”? – According to Kjerkol and the controller, it clearly is, but I think most people think this is nonsense. – But “everyone knows” that advertising for Christmas soda or alcohol-free beer is actually advertising for Christmas beer and other beers? – We have too many rules in this country. When someone uses time and resources to plague business in this way, I react. Business has had a very tough year with corona, struggles with taxes and fees, and in addition gets a controller who ticks off an emoji. Then I feel sorry for the business world. We must cheer for those who create jobs and activity, says Njåstad.
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– Silly bureaucratic idiocy – news Vestland
