Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 ad prohibited over 'child appeal'
24 August 2016
An advert for bookie Ladbrokes featuring Marvel superhero Iron Man has actually been prohibited over fears it would interest kids.
The e-mail, which included an image from the movie Iron Man 3, breached guidelines which say gambling advertisements must not be likely to interest children, the Advertising Standards Authority stated.
Ladbrokes stated all its advertising emails were sent out to signed up customers or those known to be over 18.
Most Iron Man fans are adults, it stated.
The bookie argued this promotion code was supported by data on attendance at Comic Con fan occasions and Facebook demographics for the Marvel brand name.
It likewise argued its advert was "adult-themed" and showed popular culture.
However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) promoted the complaint versus the 4 May email, stating that betting advertisements need to not be most likely to be of particular attract children, especially by showing or being associated with youth culture.
The ASA stated it understood that the email was just sent to individuals aged 18 and over, however nonetheless, the restrictions still used.
It stated that as all Facebook users must state themselves to be a minimum of 13 years of ages, younger children were for that reason omitted from the sample used by Ladbrokes to support its stance.
The ASA said: "We thought about those younger children were likely to be the primary audience for Iron Man action figures and associated product, which we understood were extensively available at toy sellers.
"We comprehended that Iron Man was a popular character that would interest numerous grownups but considered its comics nature, and the yohaig code schedule of different associated toys, indicated it was most likely to have specific interest children and youths.
"We therefore concluded that the advertisement breached the bonus code yohaig."
A Ladbrokes spokesman stated: "We understand the ASA judgment and are now considering our options, consisting of the possibility of requesting an independent review which is part of the ASA appeals procedure."
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ASA - Advertising Standards Authority
