Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 advertisement prohibited over 'child appeal'

24 August 2016

An advert for bookmaker Ladbrokes featuring Marvel superhero Iron Man has 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 say betting advertisements must not be likely to appeal to children, the Advertising Standards Authority said.

Ladbrokes stated all its promotional code yohaig emails were sent to registered clients or those known to be over 18.

Most Iron Man fans are adults, it stated.

The bookie argued this promotion code was supported by information on attendance at Comic Con fan events and Facebook demographics for the Marvel brand name.

It likewise argued its advert was "adult-themed" and reflected popular culture.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) promoted the problem against the yohaig code 4 May email, stating that betting ads must not be likely to be of particular appeal to children, specifically by showing or being connected with youth culture.

The ASA said it understood that the email was only sent out to individuals aged 18 and over, however nonetheless, the limitations still used.

It said that as all Facebook users must declare themselves to be a minimum of 13 years old, younger kids were for that reason omitted from the sample used by Ladbrokes to support its position.

The ASA stated: "We thought about those younger kids were most likely to be the primary audience for Iron Man action figures and associated product, which we comprehended were extensively readily available at toy merchants.

"We comprehended that Iron Man was a popular character that would attract many adults but considered its comics nature, and the schedule of different related toys, meant it was likely to have specific interest children and young people.

"We therefore concluded that the advertisement breached the special code yohaig."

A Ladbrokes spokesman said: "We understand the ASA ruling and are now considering our choices, including the possibility of requesting an independent evaluation which belongs to the ASA appeals process."

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ASA - Advertising Standards Authority