The United Kingdom’s advertising regulatory body, the ASA, recently criticized the Daily Mail and the People’s Postcode Lottery for an advertisement deemed misleading. The ad featured a couple, Craig and his significant other, whose wedding plans were disrupted by Craig’s job loss. They had already paid a deposit, but suddenly, without a job, the wedding was off. The ad then claimed that winning a substantial sum, specifically £62,500 (approximately $77,320) from the People’s Postcode Lottery, enabled them to resume their wedding plans and even include a honeymoon.
The ASA expressed concern that this narrative suggested participating in the lottery could be a solution for financial difficulties, a practice strictly prohibited in advertising. The lottery organizers countered, stating they never implied the couple faced financial hardship. They argued the ad merely emphasized the positive outcomes of winning, which is entirely permissible. The Daily Mail concurred, asserting that the ad did not, in their view, propose playing the lottery as a route to financial stability.
The UKs advertising watchdog, the ASA, stepped in regarding this particular campaign. Their message was clear: “This advertisement gives the impression that the couple is drowning in debt from their wedding and that a lottery win is the sole means to afford their nuptials.”
The organization expressed disapproval of the couple’s continued lottery purchases after one faced unemployment, stating it depicted a rather reckless scenario. They determined the advertisement to be deceptive, implying that the lottery presented a genuine answer to financial difficulties.