Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 advertisement prohibited over 'child appeal'

24 August 2016

An advert for bookie Ladbrokes featuring Marvel superhero Iron Man has been banned over fears it would attract kids.

The email, which featured an image from the film Iron Man 3, breached guidelines which say betting ads should not be most likely to interest children, the Advertising Standards Authority said.

Ladbrokes said all its marketing e-mails were sent out to signed up consumers or those understood to be over 18.

Most Iron Man fans are adults, it stated.

The bookmaker argued this promotion code was supported by data on presence at Comic Con fan occasions and Facebook demographics for the yohaig code Marvel brand.

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

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) promoted the grievance against the 4 May e-mail, saying that betting ads should not be most likely to be of specific interest kids, specifically by reflecting or being related to youth culture.

The ASA said it understood that the yohaig code email was only sent out to individuals aged 18 and over, but nevertheless, the restrictions still applied.

It said that as all Facebook users need to state themselves to be at least 13 years of ages, younger children were therefore left out from the sample used by Ladbrokes to support its position.

The ASA stated: "We considered those younger kids were most likely to be the yohaig code main audience for Iron Man action figures and associated product, which we comprehended were widely readily available at toy sellers.

"We understood that Iron Man was a popular character that would attract many adults however considered its comic book nature, and the availability of different associated toys, suggested it was likely to have particular attract children and youths.

"We for that reason concluded that the ad breached the promotional code yohaig."

A Ladbrokes spokesperson said: "We know the ASA ruling and are now considering our choices, including the yohaig code possibility of asking for an independent evaluation which belongs to the ASA appeals process."

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ASA - Advertising Standards Authority