The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has withdrawn an ad for British retailer Ladbrokes featuring social media personality and boxer Jake Paul, and the self-regulatory body determined it was likely to appeal to people under the age of 18.
A February 2023 Ladbrokes ad in the form of a promotional tweet featured Paul following a fight with British boxer Tommy Fury.
of As Paul argued that this violated the advertising policy because it was popular with under-18s. As a result of this decision, the ASA has ordered the advertisement not to run in its current form.
Ladbrokes initially defended the ad, arguing that it contained no calls to action, promotional offers or links to the Ladbrokes site. The company noted the age gates it introduced into the feed. This meant users couldn’t access ads unless Twitter confirmed that they were over the age of 18.
The operator also said boxing is not listed as a moderate or high risk sport under the CAP guidelines.
Additionally, the company said it evaluated Paul’s follower profile, brand partnerships and sponsorships to determine the level of risk. The company noted that the influencer now has a number of deals with alcohol and cryptocurrency businesses.
ASA upholds prosecution
However, despite Ladbrokes’ defense, the ASA chose to uphold the charges. As evidence, the body points to Paul’s 65 million social media followers across multiple platforms. The ASA stressed that each site has about 3 million followers registered as her under the age of 18.
The group also highlighted that Paul starred in the children’s TV show “Bizardvark” about two teenagers from 2016 to 2018. The ASA added that the program will include people under the age of 18 by 2023.
“Thus, we reasoned that the program’s target audience was likely to be about the same age and therefore likely to have strong appeal to those under 18,” the ASA said.
Ladbrokes second ad attack
This is not the first time the ASA has decided to sue Ladbrokes advertising. In July 2021, the self-regulatory body upheld the prosecution against gambling and gambling operators. The ad was part of Ladbroke’s April 2021 “Where the Nation Plays” campaign.
The incident involved a scene of three men betting on the Ladbrokes app and an ad containing their various reactions to a football game. In this case, the operator determined that the advertisement was socially irresponsible and likely encouraged problem gambling.
