Ad description
A TV ad for Coral showed two men reading the Racing Post in a barber's shop. One man stated, "Fancy him for the 3:40?" and the other replied, "Oh yeah, he did well last time. Worth a punt I reckon." Music then started as a woman wearing a jockey's outfit that left her midriff bare walked into the shop. As she walked past the two men, she stopped to close one's gaping jaw with her whip. Other men in the shop were then shown staring at the woman, including one whose hair was shaved off by a distracted barber. The voice-over stated, "Get ready for today's great offer", and the woman was shown holding a sign bearing the odds for a horse in an upcoming race. In the next scene, the woman bent towards the first man, touching his mobile phone with her whip. The man then placed a bet through the Coral app on his phone whilst the voice-over stated, "Great prices from Coral". As the woman walked out of the shop, she tapped the TV with her whip and it turned on to show a horse race. The voice-over stated, "Go on, stick one on it." The closing shot showed a phone and tablet computer being struck with the whip.
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the ad breached the Code because it linked gambling to seduction.
Response
Coral Interactive (Gibraltar) Ltd stated that the ad made use of an attractive female character but that they did not consider that it linked gambling with seduction, sexual success or enhanced attractiveness. They stated that the female jockey was used in the ad as an intrusive device to disrupt the everyday setting and bring attention to the Coral Interactive betting offer. They pointed out that it was clear from the initial discussion between the two men that they were already fans of horse racing and were actively contemplating placing a bet on a specific race to run later that day. They noted that the camera initially focused on the woman's boots as she walked into the shop and said that was in order to establish to the viewer that she had entered the shop. They said the men's reactions after that point in the ad were to the Coral Interactive offer itself, and their response to the woman was to place a bet via the mobile app, which completed the intended action discussed at the start of the scene. The role of the Coral Interactive character in the ad was limited to drawing attention to betting and the Coral Interactive offer. She did not flirt with or seduce the men and there was no suggestion that the men would be more attractive or sexually successful after betting. They said the woman was dressed in a manner fitting for a jockey, and that the clothing had been chosen in order to make a link to horse racing. Coral Interactive stated that, far from seducing the men in the shop, the ad portrayed the female character as being completely unattainable and the men were made to look foolish in a gently humorous way.
Clearcast said the men in the ad were discussing their betting options before the appearance of the female character, and she did not lead them into making a behavioural choice that they would otherwise not have made. They stated that there was no implication in the ad of sexual success or promise of future interaction between the characters; instead, the woman was shown as mysterious and unattainable, breezing into the shop and leaving quickly after highlighting the offer available. They said the ad was light-hearted and unrealistic and they did not consider that it contained any sexual content or seduction.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA acknowledged Coral Interactive’s and Clearcast's views that the ad did not link gambling to seduction. We noted in particular their comments that the men were clearly shown as intending to place a bet before the entrance of the female jockey, and that therefore her presence did not influence their gambling behaviour. However, we considered that the manner in which her entrance was shown placed an immediate emphasis on her sexual attractiveness, because the camera angle initially focused on her knee-high boots and then cut to showing an outfit that also featured tight jodhpurs, a whip and a jersey cut to show her midriff. At the same time, music started to play and the mood of the ad changed, with the men appearing to be transfixed by her. We considered that the introduction of the character in that manner directly after the men made reference to gambling created a link between gambling and seduction which continued throughout the ad. We considered that the link was reinforced by the continuing influence the jockey character was shown to have over her surroundings. When she leant over to touch the man's mobile phone with the whip, his reaction was to place a bet on the Coral app, and as she tapped the TV screen with her whip on the way out of the shop it switched on to show a horse race.
We considered that, rather than limiting her role to drawing attention to Coral Interactive’s betting offer, the ad placed a strong emphasis on the female jockey's sexual attractiveness, and that she behaved in a flirtatious manner towards the men in the shop, using her whip to close one man's gaping mouth as she walked by, leaning, with her hand on her hip, towards the man seated on the bench, and swinging her hips in an exaggerated fashion as she walked around the shop. We also considered that viewers would be likely to understand the men's reactions to the woman's presence as being signs of their attraction to her, rather than excitement at the odds she held up on a card at one point in the ad. Because she represented the Coral Interactive brand and was shown playing a seductive role in the scenario depicted, we concluded that the ad linked gambling to seduction and was therefore in breach of the Code.
The ad breached BCAP Code rule 17.3.7 17.3.7 link gambling to seduction, sexual success or enhanced attractiveness (Gambling).
Action
The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form.
