MrQ censured by advertising watchdog over Spiderman meme

MrQ has had a paid-for Reddit ad censured by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), which featured an image showing the well-known pointing Spidermen meme. This ad was found to have breached the rules around promoting gambling in a way that would appeal to children. The ad started to appear on 29 June and featured the meme of three cartoon Spiderman figures pointing at each other. In addition, a text box with the name “MrQ” was placed over their heads. People complained to the ASA about whether the ad was likely to have potential appeal to minors and therefore breached the Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code). Following the complaints, the ASA began investigating the ad and ruled that it must not appear in its current form. The regulatory body also informed Lindar Media, which owns MrQ, that it must ensure gambling ads do not have particular appeal to those under the age of 18. In a statement alongside the action taken, the ASA said: “The ASA understood the ad was making reference to a popular meme. Nevertheless, we considered that a cartoon depiction of Spiderman, a popular comic book character, was likely to appeal more strongly to under-18s than it would to over-18s. “We therefore considered that the ad, which featured three cartoon depictions of Spiderman, was likely to have particular appeal to children and concluded that it breached the Code.” In response, Lindar said that the ad had been placed by an agency which had followed audience targeting and because of that it felt that it was unlikely to be viewed by minors. The firm had approved the copy of the ad but did not see the image of Spiderman before the ad’s publication. Within its marketing terms and conditions stated to the agency, it says not to use any images of famous brands or people. Since the ad’s publication, Lindar has terminated its relationship with the agency for breaking this rule. Reddit said it had not received any complaints about the ad but has since amended its policy to exclude the use of cartoon characters in paid-for advertising.