Ladbrokes Protests Ban Against Award-Winning Online Gambling Ad
After Britain's Advertising Standards Authority forced a commercial for Ladbrokes online casino to be pulled earlier this week, the gambling operator has fired back, saying the decision was incorrect. The ASA acted in response to a single complaint regarding the advertisement, saying that the company had broken rules against portraying gambling as adventurous and daring.
But the ad in question was clearly designed to be seen as tongue-in-cheek humor, detailing the story of a shark researcher who couldn't stop taking greater and greater risks, until he lost his life diving into a sea of sharks wearing a ridiculous fake shark outfit. The narrator notes, "All they had to bury was his fin."
The tag line is that, if only the swimmer had known about Ladbrokes online gambling, he could have satisfied his desire for risk without dying. The ad featured other humorous stunts, including waterskiing with a line of sausages through a school of sharks and a headline saying he had cut his way out of a shark's belly.
But, because one lone citizen did not see the humor, the agency demanded the commercial be withdrawn. Ladbrokes has asked for a review by the independent overseer of ASA judgements.
In the meantime, Ladbrokes has taken out national print ads in Britain mockingly apologizing to the individual who complained. The ads feature a sad clown with a headline reading "Missing - A Funny Bone."
