ASA Rules Daily Mail and People's Postcode Lottery Breached Advertising Standards
Date: 2023-09-20 Author: Dima Zakharov Categories: EVENTS
On July 1, 2023, the Daily Mail ran an advertisement for the People’s Postcode Lottery, leading to a stern response from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA declared that the ad had violated its code of conduct.
The advertisement featured text that narrated a story: "We had to postpone the wedding when Craig lost his job" and "Couple’s wedding is back on after they scooped £62,500 ($77,320) on People’s Postcode Lottery."
Additionally, the ad highlighted that the couple had "just paid the deposit for their big day when Craig heard that he was being made redundant. Now the pair are looking forward not only to their wedding next year, but also to planning a honeymoon after winning £62,500.”
The ASA raised concerns about whether the ad implied that participating in a lottery could be a solution to financial worries.
The People’s Postcode Lottery argued that the ad did not violate advertising standards as it did not suggest that the winners had been facing financial difficulties prior to their big win. They contended that the ad merely depicted the "benefits of winning a prize," which is permissible under the CAP Code.
The Daily Mail similarly defended its stance, claiming that the ad did not insinuate that participating in the lottery guaranteed financial security.
According to the ASA report, "We considered that, along with the presentation of the couple as being stressed because they could no longer afford their wedding, had the effect of suggesting that winning the People’s Postcode Lottery was able to provide a solution to their financial concerns regarding the payment of their wedding. That was further emphasized because the couple continued to play the People’s Postcode Lottery after Craig had been made redundant.
Because the ad suggested that participating in a lottery was a way to solve financial concerns, we concluded that the ad breached the Code."
The advertisement featured text that narrated a story: "We had to postpone the wedding when Craig lost his job" and "Couple’s wedding is back on after they scooped £62,500 ($77,320) on People’s Postcode Lottery."
Additionally, the ad highlighted that the couple had "just paid the deposit for their big day when Craig heard that he was being made redundant. Now the pair are looking forward not only to their wedding next year, but also to planning a honeymoon after winning £62,500.”
The ASA raised concerns about whether the ad implied that participating in a lottery could be a solution to financial worries.
The People’s Postcode Lottery argued that the ad did not violate advertising standards as it did not suggest that the winners had been facing financial difficulties prior to their big win. They contended that the ad merely depicted the "benefits of winning a prize," which is permissible under the CAP Code.
The Daily Mail similarly defended its stance, claiming that the ad did not insinuate that participating in the lottery guaranteed financial security.
According to the ASA report, "We considered that, along with the presentation of the couple as being stressed because they could no longer afford their wedding, had the effect of suggesting that winning the People’s Postcode Lottery was able to provide a solution to their financial concerns regarding the payment of their wedding. That was further emphasized because the couple continued to play the People’s Postcode Lottery after Craig had been made redundant.
Because the ad suggested that participating in a lottery was a way to solve financial concerns, we concluded that the ad breached the Code."
