The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected a complaint from a radio listener who heard an advertisement for Betfair.
The complainant challenged whether the ad had been inappropriately scheduled at a time when children could hear it, given that it was aired during a morning radio show.
The complaint was rejected by the ASA after Betfair submitted evidence to show that it used programmatic targeting to ensure that the ad was only heard by listeners who were registered as 25 years of age or older on their mobile phone or device.
The company explained that the ad was not broadcast on linear radio, meaning that anyone who heard the ad was registered as over 25, with children only able to hear the ad if they were listening to Radio X on a device that was logged in with a registered age of 25 or over.
Betfair also explained that the ad was on Radio X, which features current and classic rock, indie and alternative music for 25 to 44-year-olds, adding that 88 percent of the audience were aged over 25 according to third-party market research data.
The ad was broadcast during ‘The Chris Moyles Show’ on Radio X, a morning show that previously aired on Radio 1 between 2004 and 2012, making it popular with adults.
The ASA said in its assessment that although the ad was broadcast at 8am when young people could potentially be listening on a device registered to someone over 25 years old, the audience of Radio X is predominantly over 25.
Together with the fact that the ad was specifically targeted at registered adult listeners, the evidence led the ASA to conclude that the ad was responsibly placed and that there was no breach of advertising regulations.