Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Adverts containing seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and Club World Cup champions Chelsea FC have been banned after a complaint was lodged to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The initial complaint over the advertisement featuring Hamilton, submitted by a researcher from the University of Bristol, cited the British driver's significant influence on under-18s as a major factor. If the individual was found to have a strong appeal to this demographic, the advert would indeed be breaching rules enforced by the ASA. The headline comes quickly off the back of a dramatic racing weekend for Hamilton, who was caught up in a chaotic opening lap crash during the Saturday Sprint Race at the United States Grand Prix. The incident saw a large chunk of carbon fibre launched at Hamilton's Ferrari, with the British driver only avoiding serious injury due to the protection of the titanium Halo surrounding his cockpit. Why Lewis Hamilton's Advert Was Banned The ASA revealed that of Hamilton's 41 million Instagram followers, UK-based under-18s accounted for 150,000 of those followers. The governing body argued that this figure alone suggests that he has a considerable influence over under-18s and that this reach would only extend further when considered alongside his additional under-18 UK-based followers on X and Facebook. "We acknowledged that Sir Lewis Hamilton was primarily famous for his association with an adult-oriented sport but considered he was very well known to a general UK audience, including to children and young people," stated the ASA. "We considered, based on his public profile, commercial partnerships, media appearances, and UK under-18 social media following, that he had strong appeal to under-18s. For those reasons, we concluded the ad was irresponsible and breached the code." The ASA also banned a YouTube advert featuring Chelsea FC's logo, which could be seen on the site in May. The advert featured fans wearing merchandise with the club's logo, again citing the influence the football team has on under-18s. The ASA's concern was over how the logo was shown on a variety of merchandise, including lanyards and scarves, as well as being emblazoned on backdrops within the stadium building. The ASA went on to suggest that if the logo had appeared in a standalone context, e.g., at the end of the advert, it would have been more acceptable. What the Lewis Hamilton & Chelsea Adverts Were Both the Lewis Hamilton and Chelsea FC adverts were for the gambling firms, Kwiff and Betway, respectively. The Hamilton advert debuted in July on Kwiff's X account, prior to the British Grand Prix. The post stated: "A potentially huge weekend for Sir Lewis Hamilton ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone #F1." The post, featuring a picture of Hamilton waving the Union Jack at a previous edition of the British Grand Prix, featured a banner across the bottom with the 18+ symbol and the BeGambleAware.org logo. While Kwiff initially challenged the complaint, citing Hamilton's majority influence over older audiences, they reviewed their content and swiftly removed any advertising featuring mainstream sports figures. Betway, meanwhile, argued that they had the contractual right to use the club’s logo as they had struck a deal to become Chelsea FC’s official European betting partner. The popular gambling firm added that if the advert was deemed to be in breach of advertising rules that it could be damaging to the future of gambling sponsorship in sport. In light of the Betway advert ban, the ASA stated: "We considered that the depiction of the team logo in an ad that showed a stadium experience for fans was likely to strongly appeal to children and young people who supported Chelsea FC or followed football more widely. "We further considered that its appearance in that context went beyond any permitted exemption for identifying content and, therefore, was likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s. The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Betway to ensure that future ads did not contain content of strong appeal to those under 18 years of age." In response, Betway said: "We have fully co-operated with the investigation and will continue to take proactive steps to ensure that all recommendations and findings are implemented. "Betway has absolutely no interest in marketing to children or young people. All of our content undergoes a rigorous multi-stage review process before publication. This particular video was subject to the same thorough checks and was believed to be fully compliant with the latest industry guidelines. We would never knowingly produce or release any content that breaches those rules."
