All posts by : janinepaterson

… Ladbrokes will be hoping not!

Have you been keeping up with the rollercoaster ride of Ladbrokes and their gambling ads

You may remember my previous mention of the ASA’s updated rules to keep betting and gambling ads away from the under-18s.

Part of these rules includes avoiding any association with youth culture by not using people or characters that appeal to those under 18 in ads.

This may seem straightforward enough, but when brands like Ladbrokes manage to stumble not once, not twice, but thrice since these rules came into effect last October, maybe they’re not as simple as first it seems.

⚽ First off, we had a football fiasco.

Ladbrokes sent out a promotional tweet right when the rules kicked in, raising interest from the ASA. The tweet posed the question, “Can these big summer signings make the question marks over their performances go away?”

The video embedded in the tweet featured Premier League footballers Philippe Coutinho, Jesse Lingard, and Kalidou Koulibaly, all surrounded by question marks, and the “Ladbrokes” logo.

Ladbrokes claimed they did everything to prevent those under 18 from seeing the ad, using their own targeting and age-gating techniques.

But there’s a problem here: Twitter allows self-verification, so Ladbrokes could not prevent children who had lied about their age from seeing the tweet.

🥊 Then we had a boxing blunder.

The ASA considers boxing an adult-oriented sport with a low appeal to under-18s. But when you pair this with a big social media following, the problems start!

A promoted tweet featured Jake Paul, a guy known more for his YouTube shenanigans and a whopping social media following of around 65 million people. Mr Paul turned his hand to boxing a few years back, and the tweet followed his defeat by Tommy Fury. It included a poll asking what’s next for him.

Paul’s under 18 following is only around 3 million across all the social media platforms, and he has no followers on Twitter. However, the guidance suggests that if a sportsperson has a limited following among under-18s but is widely recognised for their social media presence and media profile, this makes them more likely to attract the younger crowd.

And to make matters worse, Jake Paul was a child actor, appearing on children’s TV! No surprise then the complaint was upheld.

⚽ But wait, there’s more! Football strikes again.

Two promoted tweets featuring Premier League managers Eddie Howe, David Moyes, Frank Lampard, Brendan Rodgers, and Gary O’Neil caught the ASA’s attention.

These managers are well-known to football followers, especially fans of the clubs they managed, which include children.

And Premier League football managers are considered high-risk, as they tend to be of strong appeal to under-18s.

But guess what? Ladbrokes, once again, went with Twitter, relying on self-verified customer sign-ups. As they’d seen in the first case, this approach doesn’t exclude a young audience with the accuracy required for these types of ads.

Some people don’t worry about the ASA, well they can’t fine you can they, but the effect their rulings can have on your reputation can’t be underplayed.

The boxing one was unfortunate I think, but with 2 complaints involving football stars, I think Ladbrokes can do better!

… ask the right questions!

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but companies seem to have forgotten the art of gathering the right data.

And this is an easy way to customer dissatisfaction.

I was on the wrong end of this recently when I was looking to renew my car insurance.

My current provider hit me with a renewal quote that’s almost 50% higher than last year!

Now, I’m no speed demon and nothing has happened on the roads in the past year to justify such a steep increase.

So, I did some good old comparison shopping.

Lo and behold, I come upon a quote that’s a whopping £75 cheaper!

Great, so I start filling out those online forms on their website.

As I’m diligently reviewing the information they have about me, I come across a question: “How many cars are there in your household?”

3 was ticked, which was true back when my stepson lived with us.

But times have changed, and it’s just two of us now.

So, I adjust the answer, thinking this could potentially lower my quote. But wait for it… my quote shoots up by nearly £12! What in the world?

Naturally, I wanted to know why.

When I rang them here’s what they said:

Apparently, the fewer cars there are in the household, the more I’ll be driving mine.

So more time on the road equals a higher risk of incidents and claims.

I can see that logic, except for one tiny detail—they assumed I had access to my stepson’s car, which I didn’t because, well, I wasn’t insured for it!

You see they made a wrong assumption because they asked the wrong question.

If they’d asked, “How many cars do you have access to?” instead of the misleading “How many cars are there in your household?”, they wouldn’t have gone down a rabbit hole of flawed risk assessment.

Sadly, they didn’t see things my way, so I took my business elsewhere.

This whole episode serves as a timely reminder: When you’re collecting data, it’s absolutely crucial to ask the right questions!

You’ll get the right answers that will lead you to better decisions and happier customers.

… which you can avoid

Promoting new products and services can be challenging, right?

Choosing the right channel for your business, audience, and offerings is no easy task.

A popular option is email marketing—it’s cost-effective and allows you to reach a wide audience.

You can create captivating copy tailored to engage your ideal clients.

But wait! Before hitting that “SEND” button, remember the rules.

Let me tell you about Bob.

Bob is the CEO of a thriving tech company specialising in solutions for other businesses.

His marketing team gathered to brainstorm ideas for promoting a new service they’d developed.

One suggestion caught their attention: sending an email to their loyal clients and suppliers, treating them to exclusive offers and discounts.

It sounded like a brilliant way to reach their entire network, so they crafted a compelling email and eagerly pressed “SEND”.

However, instead of the positive feedback and requests for more info they expected, they received complaints from some of the recipients asking, “Why have I received this email?”

The marketing list included clients and suppliers without considering their business types.

While it’s acceptable to send marketing emails to individuals associated with limited companies without their prior consent, the same cannot be said for sole traders. As unincorporated businesses, they are treated similarly to consumers and require prior permission to receive such emails.

Bob swiftly took responsibility for the mistake, sincerely apologised to the affected individuals, and promptly removed their details from the email marketing list.

Determined to avoid similar mishaps in the future, he implemented stronger procedures and provided training to his team on compliance.

Fortunately, the repercussions for Bob’s company were not severe this time, but it reminds us that we need to know and apply the rules properly in our businesses.

If you’re unsure or want to discuss legal compliance in your marketing, you know who to ask, don’t you?

… well maybe 😂

One fine morning, as my husband and I were on our morning walk, inspiration struck me like a ray of sunlight.

A thought so brilliant, it could revolutionize the world of gardening! 🤔

Picture this: a duvet…for plants! I know it sounds peculiar, but bear with me.

Amidst our conversation about the state of our vegetable garden, brimming with onions, garlic, broad beans, squash, and courgettes, we’ve encountered a minor setback—the runner beans.

Although we planted them a tad late, they seemed to be catching up, flourishing in their own way…until the unexpected chill arrived.

In a typical summer, these sprightly beans would have raced up their canes, adorning them with lush green foliage.

Alas, the sudden drop in temperature seemed to displease them greatly.

If they had the gift of speech, I’m certain they’d grumble about their chilly roots! 🙃

And that’s when it hit me: the plant duvet! A cosy cover to keep those delicate roots warm and snug.

Now, I must confess, this idea may not be my greatest gardening brainchild. I’m more of a dabbler in the world of horticulture.

However, fear not! When it comes to marketing and advertising compliance, I’m your go-to expert, offering invaluable guidance and assistance.

… but an important one

Isn’t it amazing how sports, especially football, captivate the hearts of so many young fans? I remember my husband telling me about when he and his brothers were young, cheering for Manchester United (their dad’s team 😉) during exciting matches on TV.

But those famous football players can have an influence on young people, and we need to be careful if these stars are used to promote some services, like gambling for example.

The ASA, therefore, has some strict rules. They don’t want ads featuring sports stars who strongly appeal to those under 18, which makes sense.

So, when it comes to football, the ASA sees it as a high-risk area because of its popularity among the young. That’s why they’re unhappy about players from top British and European clubs featuring in gambling ads. But when it comes to other sports like boxing, which is more adult-oriented, this issue doesn’t arise.

Let me tell you about two recent cases that highlight this.

In one case, an ad featured FC Barcelona players Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

You may know how huge Barcelona is and these players are not only famous within the club but also in the Spanish national team, and they’re well-known even here in the UK.

They’ve played in major tournaments that received huge media coverage.

That’s why the ASA consider them high-risk and upheld the complaint against the ad.

On the flip side, we have the case of boxer Chris Eubank Jr.

Boxing, as we know, has a more adult fanbase and the data showed that most of the viewers for his matches were adults too.

Although Eubank Jr appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox with his dad, a popular show for all ages on Channel 4, he doesn’t have a huge following of under-18s on social media.

So, the ASA concluded that the ad for his upcoming match didn’t strongly appeal to young people.

The real difference is the pull of various sports for young people. Promoting a gambling product or service can be done legally, you just need to know the rules and apply them.

Or speak to someone that does. 😊

Shame it was on Sunday mornings!

I was brought up in a little town in Buckinghamshire.

 At the age of thirteen, I landed my first “real” job at a mushroom farm (I had a paper round before this but that wasn’t what I considered a real job)

Every Sunday morning, I would wake up early, (I have since learnt to enjoy Sunday morning lie-ins), and my poor dad would drive me up to the farm to spend the morning picking mushrooms.

It wasn’t the best job, in dark, damp sheds filling box after box with the lovely white fungi, but there was a reason for this.

I wanted to earn my own money, to be able to buy the things I wanted without relying on my parents.

The mushroom farm gave me that opportunity and was my first taste of independence.

With each passing Sunday, I got a taste of what was to become: earning my own money.

But it wasn’t just about the money; it was the sense of achievement and the freedom to make my own choices.

Building on my parent’s teaching about the importance of saving, budgeting and setting goals for the things I wanted to buy.

And I have continued to do this in my professional life, first working for someone else and now in my own business, guiding my clients through the intricate web of marketing and advertising regulation.

I help them promote their products and services confidently, without worrying about legal consequences.

That’s my job!

They should know better!

Lots of businesses do this without realising it’s actually against the law!

And you know what?

It also drives away real customers.

When it comes to sending emails, many businesses break the rules, sometimes through lack of knowledge but others because they don’t care how they treat their customers.

I was talking to a client who signed up for a free webinar.

But guess what?

He got bombarded with seven marketing emails on the very first day!

Why? Because the sign-up form made him agree to get those emails, just to attend the webinar.

I’ve seen this so many times.

Having to agree to receive emails to download a client magnet or attend a free event, but you know what?

It’s not just against the law, it’s also a really bad way to start a relationship with potential customers.

It’s not honest, and it doesn’t respect their right to decide how you use their information.

If you follow the rules, which means receiving marketing is a real choice and your offer is good, you’ll attract potential customers who actually want to hear from you.

And the best part?

They’re more likely to become paying customers.

Because they’ll trust you.

One more reason to follow the rules.

Who’d have known?

I collected my daughter from uni for the last time.

Wow, 3 years gone just like that.

She was moving back home before starting the next chapter in her life.

So I had to get all her stuff …

Bicycle

Plates, bowls, cutlery

Saucepans,

Duvet, pillows and covers

Laptop and monitor

Books

Clothing

… in my Volvo V70 for one trip! 🚗

After starting with the bicycle, I packed the rest in various boxes and bags, throwing the shoes into small nooks and crevices, until it was stuffed to the gunnels.

I even managed to still have the rearview mirror in use!

When I’d finished, my daughter said: “You’d be so good at Tetris, Mum!”

Well, that’s a new skill I will have to add to my CV.

It will look great alongside my 16 years of experience advising on marketing and advertising law, ensuring my clients make the most of their marketing activities while staying within the rules.

… surely no harm done. 🤔

It can be easy to make an error when you have a million and one things on your mind.

But some of those errors can have serious repercussions.

I heard about John, an HR manager.

One day, he had to send an important email to his team.

But he made a simple mistake.

He was hurrying to get the email sent and added everyone’s email addresses in the “To” field.

If John had realised what he had done, he probably would have thought it didn’t matter, but the consequences could have been serious.

Soon after hitting “Send,” John started receiving messages from his colleagues.

They were upset because their personal email addresses were visible to everyone on the list.

John was mortified.

Reviewing what he had done, John realised that he had broken data privacy rules (in the UK, it’s called PECR)

He should have used the “Bcc” field to prevent others from seeing all the email addresses.

As this was an internal email, the consequences were just some miffed colleagues, but if this had been an external email, it could have been far worse, maybe even a fine.

This incident sparked a review of John’s company’s data privacy policies and procedures and the introduction of data training for all employees, so this would not happen again in the future.

Luckily the outcome of this data breach was not serious, but it can be easy to forget small rules when dealing with the different aspects of your business.

As the Marketing Expert, I can help make sure these small mistakes are not made.

… but it seemed straightforward!

I thought I had everything under control.

Little did I know, a seemingly harmless screw in the middle of a bathroom fixture would teach me a valuable lesson

Let me explain:

I was cleaning the family bathroom. The girls frequently used the shower over the bath, so the plughole had become tarnished and stubborn to clean.

I thought that if I could soak it for a while, that would help.

So I unscrewed it and took it downstairs to find a container to soak it in.

“What have you done!” exclaimed my husband.

“You’ve just dismantled the drain and we’ll never make it watertight again. A leak could bring the ceiling down!”

How was I to know – there was a screw so obviously you could remove it. 🤔

Fortunately, luck was on my side that day.

After meticulously cleaning the plughole, I managed to fix it back into place, ensuring it was tightly screwed in.

After putting the plug in, I turned on the tap and watched for any sign of a leak. Nothing.

I left the water in the bath for an hour – no leaks.

I then emptied the bath – no leaks.

As the ultimate test, I entrusted my daughter with a shower.

NO LEAKS! Phew.

I admit my knowledge of plumbing is small, so I should have asked my husband, who had skilfully tackled all the plumbing during our bungalow-to-house conversion.

We can’t be good at everything.

But here’s the thing – I am good at being the Marketing Expert, in fact, I’m excellent.

My clients have enough to do in running their business, so asking me when it comes to their marketing and advertising compliance makes sense.

They know asking for expert help can save time, money and a lot of stress.