Dan Douglass on direct

Dan Douglass

So that poster showing a nervous man on a sofa with a pint in his hand looking anxiously at a woman trying on a figure hugging dress - next to the line 'Take Courage, my friend' - has been banned by the ASA for suggesting the beer could increase confidence.

This ban is in response to a 'flood' of complaints (three, to be precise) received by the Advertising Standards Authority from people who said the poster implied the beer would give the man confidence to either make negative comments about the woman or try to take advantage of her.

Let's deal with the sexist question first. Is it just me? Doesn't the Art Direction give it away? The way the woman is shown from the waist down and the guy looks somewhat confused and lost? Isn't it obvious that the guy is bracing himself for the inevitable question 'Does my bum look big in this?'. Far from a rush of blood to the head, the guy is actually contemplating how to navigate his way through a situation strewn with bear-traps. Whether or not to go where no man has gone before by actually responding with a truthful answer to a rhetorical question.

In 'The Fast Show', Arabella Weir made a living out of this trademark catchphrase. The joke therefore has female provenance, which surely renders it acceptable in the eyes of the sisterhood. As for alcohol increasing confidence, doesn't all alcohol advertising do this in one way, shape or form. Trading laddish bragging rights is its stock in trade. Confidence is behind the claim that it makes you more surefooted socially ('You know who your friends are') or just smarter ('Pure Genius'). And don't get me started on that cheeky chappy Hoffmeister bear in the wide-boy titfer I was told to follow through my session-drinking years.

Here are a few others that show confidence is in the industry's blood. Man nicks chair from pub (WKD). Doesn't that take confidence? Man performs Peter Crouch robot dance with live power drill (WKD again). It's a confident man who can do that with a lethal tool. Small insignificant man with pint in hand proves to be an irresistible draw to tall blonde although he uses her as shade to keep the amber nectar cool (Fosters). Now there's a man who's confident in his own skin. Small South American village stages a big domino effect stunt with dangerous machinery, fire, live chickens (Guinness).

You not only have to be confident to plan it, but to pull it off, a bit like that audacious opening goal for Liverpool by Sergio Aurelio in The Champion's League second leg encounter with Chelsea Tuesday night (just thought I'd get that reference in for the lads). Man performs body-splitting belly-flop from high diving board (John Smiths). Now that takes courage. Men encounter dream flat-mates who they probably have every intention of bedding judging by the self-satisfied smirks of contentment on their impish faces (Carlsberg). Cocksure, I'd call it. In fact, isn't most alcohol advertising all about confidence and front in a way? So why single out Courage for special treatment?

After all, they have more justification than most for their approach. They've been using the 'Take Courage' line since the 1950's without complaint. About as long, in fact, as alcohol advertisers have been trading confidence as a positive attribute of consuming the product. So shouldn't the ASA heed the brewer's advice, let the incandescent vocal minority self-combust and let the rest of us enjoy a fine and funny campaign?