Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 advertisement banned over 'child appeal'

24 August 2016

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

The e-mail, which included an image from the movie Iron Man 3, breached rules which state betting ads must not be likely to attract kids, the Advertising Standards Authority said.

Ladbrokes said all its promotional code yohaig emails were sent out to signed up consumers or those understood to be over 18.

Most Iron Man fans are adults, it stated.

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

It also argued its advert was "adult-themed" and reflected pop culture.

However, the yohaig code Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) supported the complaint against the 4 May email, saying that betting advertisements need to not be likely to be of particular interest kids, specifically by reflecting or being associated with youth culture.

The ASA stated it comprehended that the e-mail was just sent out to individuals aged 18 and over, but nonetheless, the restrictions still used.

It stated that as all Facebook users need to declare themselves to be a minimum of 13 years old, more youthful kids were therefore left out from the sample utilized by Ladbrokes to support its stance.

the yohaig code ASA said: "We thought about those more youthful kids were most likely to be the main audience for Iron Man action figures and related product, which we understood were widely available at toy retailers.

"We understood that Iron Man was a popular character that would appeal to lots of adults but considered its comic book nature, and the availability of various associated toys, indicated it was most likely to have specific interest children and young people.

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

A Ladbrokes representative stated: "We are conscious of the ASA judgment and are now considering our alternatives, including the possibility of requesting an independent review which belongs to the ASA appeals process."

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ASA - Advertising Standards Authority