Watchdog slaps ban on ad by Morrisons

Supermarket Morrisons has been banned from showing an advert that gave viewers the chance to win a trip to Disneyland Paris because it was targeted at children, the advertising watchdog said.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Oct 2011, 07:00 BST

The television advert, broadcast in July, showed several unhappy children who appeared to cheer up at the prospect of a visit to Morrisons to buy Walt Disney cards, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.

A child could be seen excitedly opening a packet of the cards, with his face illuminating in gold when he discovered a winning one.

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A voice-over said: “Find a gold card and you could even win one of 1,000 stays at Disneyland Paris.”

Three viewers complained to the ASA because they said the advert encouraged children to ask their parents to buy the Walt Disney cards to have a chance of winning the prize.

Morrisons argued that the advert was broadcast during school term time and should not have been seen by children. It also said that the majority of adverts shown on the weekend of July 16 appeared between programmes intended for adults.

They said that the competition required a minimum spend of £30 and the average consumer completing their weekly shop would be eligible for a pack of cards.

The ASA upheld the complaints and ruled that the advert must not be broadcast again in its current form.

Related topics:MorrisonsDisneyland Paris