A Tweet featuringYouTuber Jake Paul has been banned by the UK's advertising watchdog for 'irreponsibly' promoting betting.
The controversial ad, which appeared on Ladbrokes' Twitter feed in February, displayed an image of social influencer turned professional boxer Paul alongside a caption that read: "@TommyTNTFury beat @JakePaul by split decision last night. So, we’ve got to ask the question… What’s next for Jake Paul? Vote here now."
If that wasn't enough, the tweet also included a poll at the bottom, offering options such as "Win the re-match," "Head to the MMA," "Return to YouTube," and "Join the WWE."
The Advertising Standards Agency investigated a complaint that the ad violated its rules by featuring an individual who would strongly appeal to those under the age of 18.
In their defence, Ladbrokes argued that the social media post was published after the fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury and did not contain any "calls to action," promotional offers, or links to their website. Moreover, they claimed that their Twitter feed and respective tweets were age-gated, ensuring that only users over the age of 18 could access them.
While it is no secret that Jake Paul boasts a massive social media following, Ladbrokes contended that, based on the demographics of his followers, only 16% of his YouTube subscribers were registered as being between 13 and 17 years old, with none of his Twitter followers "registered as being under 18."
However, the ASA maintained that Jake Paul undeniably possesses "inherent strong appeal to under-18s." The watchdog pointed out that Paul gained recognition primarily through his YouTube videos and currently has 65 million followers across various platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, with approximately three million registered as being under 18 on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram each.
Making matters worse, the ASA highlighted Paul's earlier stint on the Disney Channel, where he appeared on the children's TV programme Bizaardvark from 2016 to 2018. The ASA argued that some of the audience from that show would still have been under 18 at the time of the Ladbrokes' tweet.
Issuing their judgement, the ASA asserted: "Whilst the programme had ended in 2019 in the US, we considered that he was still well known for having appeared on that programme, and that it was still available on UK streaming services. We, therefore, considered that Jake Paul had strong appeal to under-18s. For those reasons, we considered that the ad was irresponsible and breached the Code."
Consequently, the watchdog ruled that the post in question should not be displayed again, issuing a statement that read, "We told LC International Ltd, trading as Ladbrokes, not to include a person or character who had strong appeal to those under 18 years of age."
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