The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has today cleared Buzz Bingo following the submission of two complaints to the ASA regarding a post on the Buzz Bingo Grimsby’s Facebook page.
Jumping on the the trend of using AI-generated images of action figures, an image of a cartoon figure of a woman in a box labelled “[NAME] ACTION FIGURE” was used by Buzz Bingo Grimsby on their Facebook page in April of this year. The image showed a bingo dabber, bingo cards, and a numbered ball. A caption on the post stated: “For a limited time only Buzz Bingo Action Figures [crying laughing face emoji] Only available at Buzz Bingo Grimsby!”
The two complainants were worried that the nature of the light-hearted ad, part of a huge trend on social media, woud appeal to children. Buzz Bingo, one of the largest UK bingo companies both online and offline, responded to the ASA, saying it was a computer generated image that bore a likeness to Buzz Bingo Grimsby’s general manager who is someone not likely at all to be recognised by any other children but their own.
Buzz argued that he image was intended to be seen only by people who were following the Buzz Bingo Grimsby Facebook page, further strengthening the company’s case that there was no ill intent in their marketing and that it’s been used responsibly. The image didn’t have any bright colours or was cartoonish which also helped back up Buzz Bingo‘s response.
“Unlikely to be Viewed by Children”
The ASA, which has been quite firm with ads possibly appealing to under 18’s, dismissed the complaints and issued a statement saying:
“We considered that action figures or dolls were likely to appeal to some under-18s. However, we considered that despite the image being computer-generated, the overall style of the ad was realistic rather than cartoon-like. The figure depicted was an adult who did not have exaggerated features, was wearing a simple shirt, and was not a recognisable or well-known character.
“The colours were muted rather than bright and were not reminiscent of dolls or action figures that were typically marketed towards children. We considered that the ‘action figure’ depicted was unlikely to be viewed by children as an appealing toy to play with.”
“We therefore concluded that the ad was not likely to be of strong appeal to those under 18 years of age.”
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