Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 28, 1993                   TAG: 9308280040
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LONDON                                LENGTH: Medium

IN BRITAIN, CLINTON'S IMAGE IS GOOD . . . FOR SELLING BEER

But that hasn't stopped Canadian brewer Molson from running a picture - a very large picture - of the president in its beer ads in Britain.

Molson hopes the Clinton promotion will persuade more of the nation's many tipplers to try its Special Dry brew.

The two-page newspaper ads, first appearing Friday, feature a full-page mugshot of the president, hands folded in a contemplative mood.

The other page offers the quote:

"One of the things that I've learned this year is that a strong beer can have a really clean taste. My wife is more of a beer drinker than I am, and she's the one who first cottoned on to Molson Special Dry."

Sounds like a presidential pitch, with Hillary Rodham Clinton lending support, right?

Not if you look closer. Fine print at the bottom specifies that the quote came from Sean Purcell, a London beer drinker. The photo, according to more fine print, is merely "a picture of Bill Clinton."

Although White House lawyers would instantly object if this happened in America, Molson says it's on firm legal ground in Britain, where public figures are fair game for witty ad agencies.

"We have not sought out his permission, but we have gotten legal advice and this is legal," said Steve Ardill, consumer marketing manager for Molson's British operations. "Being a public figure, the president's image is usable, and that's what we're doing.

"Obviously, our intention is not to offend anybody," he added.

White House officials declined comment on the ads.

Clinton rarely drinks beer or other alcoholic beverages because they aggravate his allergies, White House aide Ricki Seidman said in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where the president is on vacation.

Jeffrey Edelstein, a New York attorney who specializes in advertising law, doubts the White House is happy to see Clinton being used as a beer pitchman.

"It would not be permitted in this country," Edelstein said. "The White House has a firm policy that pictures or likenesses of the president or first lady cannot be used for advertising purposes. They strictly enforce the policy. In fact, the White House itself cannot be used for advertising purposes."

In Britain, only images of the royal family are taboo, although the kings and queens of Britain help promote fine teas and other products by issuing seals of approval - called royal warrants - that appear on packages.

Public figures below the rank of royal had best laugh it off if they show up in a funny ad.

"So long as he's not shown as endorsing the product, then we permit use of people in the public eye to be used without necessarily asking for permission," said Caroline Crawford, spokeswoman for Britain's Advertising Standards Authority, an industry self-regulatory body.

But can't Clinton's picture and the beer quotes be seen as an endorsement?

Not if you read the fine print, Molson says. To ensure that readers can do so, the ads are being placed only in newspapers, magazines and in London Underground train stations. That way, people presumably have time to see the whole thing.

That means the ads will not be used on road signs that passersby might only glance at. Still, in a statement Molson acknowledged it was "walking a fine line to achieve `acceptable' controversy."