Madonna 'too old' to influence teens to drink vodka

Madonna, who has recently made headlines for her dressing too provocatively during her gigs, has been judged too old to influence young people to drink vodka, according to an advertising watchdog.

Madonna, who has recently made headlines for her dressing too provocatively during her gigs, has been judged too old to influence young people to drink vodka, according to an advertising watchdog.

A recent ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) concluded that since the singer’s fan-base was primarily those who enjoyed her tunes in the 1980s, they were old enough to drink alcohol.

The decision came in response to a complaint that a Smirnoff advert featuring Madonna dancing on stage would encourage youngsters not yet 18 to drink.

The 1980s pop icon’s raunchy performances, minimal costumes and propensity to shock with acts such as showing her nipple, have caused much debate bur she was still judged ‘too old’ to appeal to younger generations.

“We considered that the ad had been designed with Madonna’s older fanbase in mind and that the shots of the concert, the dancers and the Madonna soundtrack used would not have particular resonance with younger audiences,” the Daily Mail quoted ASA as telling The Sunday Times in its decision.

In fact Smirnoff’s maker Diageo said one of the reasons it chose to use Madonna for the advertising campaign was because of her age.

In its defence Smirnoff told the ASA that Madonna was a ‘performing artist who rose to importance in the 1980s and that her fanbase was predominantly made up of music lovers from the 1980s and 1990s’.

Smirnoff also said that only 4.7 percent of youngsters aged 12 to 17 in Britain regularly listened to Madonna, bought or downloaded her tunes or followed heron social media sites or in the press.