Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 advertisement prohibited over 'kid appeal'
24 August 2016
An advert for bookmaker Ladbrokes featuring Marvel superhero Iron Man has actually been prohibited over fears it would appeal to children.
The e-mail, which featured an image from the movie Iron Man 3, breached guidelines which state betting advertisements should not be most likely to appeal to kids, the Advertising Standards Authority stated.
Ladbrokes said all its promotional code yohaig e-mails were sent to registered customers or those known to be over 18.
Most Iron Man fans are grownups, it said.
The bookmaker argued this promotion code was supported by data on presence at Comic Con fan events and Facebook demographics for the Marvel brand.
It also argued its advert was "adult-themed" and reflected pop culture.
However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) supported the problem against the 4 May e-mail, saying that betting advertisements should not be most likely to be of particular attract kids, particularly by reflecting or being associated with youth culture.
The ASA stated it comprehended that the e-mail was only sent out to people aged 18 and over, however nonetheless, the restrictions still applied.
It stated that as all Facebook users must state themselves to be a minimum of 13 years old, younger kids were therefore omitted from the yohaig code sample used by Ladbrokes to support its position.
the yohaig code ASA said: "We thought about those more youthful kids were most likely to be the primary audience for Iron Man action figures and related merchandise, which we understood were extensively available at toy sellers.
"We comprehended that Iron Man was a popular character that would attract many adults however considered its comics nature, and the schedule of numerous related toys, indicated it was likely to have specific appeal to children and youths.
"We for that reason concluded that the advertisement breached the yohaig code bonus code yohaig."
A Ladbrokes spokesman said: "We understand the ASA ruling and are now considering our options, including the possibility of requesting an independent evaluation which belongs to the yohaig code ASA appeals process."
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ASA - Advertising Standards Authority
