Bench said they did not condone irresponsible use of alcohol and they did not believe the ad promoted unwise attitudes towards alcohol. They said the unbranded props were used to establish the story behind the image, which was that the models were in a backstage setting, in which there might usually be a selection of soft and alcoholic drinks, after a gig. They said the drinks containers were appropriate alongside the fruit, which formed part of the band's rider, and a clothes rail and flyers. Bench said none of the models were holding drinks or 'interacting' with the drinks containers; they did not appear under the influence of alcohol and were clearly sober. They said their target audience was aged 21 to 35 years and therefore their ads were not aimed at under-18s; in addition, the readership of Drapers, which was a trade publication, was also aged over 18.

Drapers said the publication was the weekly news magazine of the fashion industry and, as such, it was a business-to-business magazine. They did not therefore survey readers to determine their ages. However, the publication was not targeted at consumers or under-18s. They said their readership mainly comprised chief executives, directors, managers, buyers, merchandisers and sales and marketing executives from fashion brands and retailers. They said the ad itself would have been targeted specifically towards retailers to create interest in the Bench brand and they had not received any complaints about it.