William Hill’s ‘2 Clear’ TV advert banned
William Hill’s ‘2 Clear’ advert was banned this week for misleading punters.
The advert seen on 15 September 2017, featured a voice-over that stated, “Get a 15% free bet bonus on your winnings with ‘2 Clear’ from William Hill, 30% of flat races last season were won by two lengths or more. Bet on any live ITV flat race and if your horse wins by 2 lengths or more you’ll get a 15% free bet bonus on your winnings. Introducing ‘2 Clear’ from William Hill.
Available on all live ITV flat races. Online, on mobile and in our shops.” During the ad, the words “free bet bonus” and “Live ITV Flat Races” flashed on screen when referenced in the voice-over. At the bottom of the screen, small text stated “Selected UK flat races. 6+ runners.
However, the ASA investigated after one complainant questioned whether the condition that the promotion only applied to horse races which had at least six runners was made clear enough to viewers.
The ASA considered that consumers would likely interpret the voice over claims “Bet on any live ITV flat race” and “Introducing ‘2 Clear’ from William Hill available on all live ITV flat races” to mean they could get the free bet bonus when they bet on any televised flat race.
The ASA noted the on-screen text included the qualification that the bonus was only available for races which had six or more runners. However, we considered that was contradictory to the claims that the bonus was available on “all” or “any” race.
Because the qualification in the small print of the ad contradicted the impression created by the voice-over, we concluded the ad was misleading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=2cmSocQPUpU