Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 ad Banned over 'Kid Appeal'
Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 ad prohibited over 'kid appeal'
24 August 2016
An advert for bookmaker Ladbrokes featuring Marvel superhero Iron Man has been prohibited over fears it would attract children.
The e-mail, which included an image from the movie Iron Man 3, breached rules which say gambling ads should not be likely to interest children, the Advertising Standards Authority stated.
Ladbrokes stated all its advertising emails were sent to registered clients or those understood to be over 18.
Most Iron Man fans are grownups, it stated.
The bookie argued this was supported by information on attendance 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) upheld the grievance against the 4 May email, saying that gambling ads need to not be most likely to be of particular interest children, especially by showing or being related to youth culture.
The ASA stated it understood that the e-mail was only sent to people aged 18 and over, however nonetheless, the restrictions still used.
It said that as all Facebook users should declare themselves to be a minimum of 13 years old, younger children were for that reason omitted from the sample utilized by Ladbrokes to support its position.
The ASA stated: "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 commonly readily available at toy merchants.
"We understood that Iron Man was a popular character that would attract many grownups but considered its comics nature, and the schedule of various related toys, indicated it was likely to have specific appeal to kids and young people.
"We therefore concluded that the ad breached the code.
Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 ad prohibited over 'kid appeal'
24 August 2016
An advert for bookmaker Ladbrokes featuring Marvel superhero Iron Man has been prohibited over fears it would attract children.
The e-mail, which included an image from the movie Iron Man 3, breached rules which say gambling ads should not be likely to interest children, the Advertising Standards Authority stated.
Ladbrokes stated all its advertising emails were sent to registered clients or those understood to be over 18.
Most Iron Man fans are grownups, it stated.
The bookie argued this was supported by information on attendance 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) upheld the grievance against the 4 May email, saying that gambling ads need to not be most likely to be of particular interest children, especially by showing or being related to youth culture.
The ASA stated it understood that the e-mail was only sent to people aged 18 and over, however nonetheless, the restrictions still used.
It said that as all Facebook users should declare themselves to be a minimum of 13 years old, younger children were for that reason omitted from the sample utilized by Ladbrokes to support its position.
The ASA stated: "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 commonly readily available at toy merchants.
"We understood that Iron Man was a popular character that would attract many grownups but considered its comics nature, and the schedule of various related toys, indicated it was likely to have specific appeal to kids and young people.
"We therefore concluded that the ad breached the code.