On 1 July 2023, the Daily Mail posted an ad for the People’s Postcode Lottery, which the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) announced had breached its code of conduct.
The ad contained text which read: “We had to postpone the wedding when Craig lost his job” and “Couple’s wedding is back on after they scooped £62,500 ($77,320) on People’s Postcode Lottery.”
Furthermore, the ad stated the couple had "just paid the deposit for their big day when Craig heard that he was being made redundant. Now the pair are looking forward not only to their wedding next year, but also to planning a honeymoon after winning £62,500.”
The ASA questioned whether the ad suggested participating in a lottery could be a solution to financial concerns.
The People’s Postcode Lottery said it did not believe the ad breached the advertising standards because it did not suggest the winners had been struggling financially before winning the prize.
With that in mind, it believed the scenario presented in the ad referred to ‘the benefits of winning a prize,’ which is permitted under the CAP Code.
The Daily Mail said it did not believe the ad implied that participation in the lottery was a way to achieve financial security.
The ASA report stated: “We considered that, along with the presentation of the couple as being stressed because they could no longer afford their wedding, had the effect of suggesting that winning the People’s Postcode Lottery was able to provide a solution to their financial concerns regarding the payment of their wedding.
“That was further emphasised because the couple continued to play the People’s Postcode Lottery after Craig had been made redundant.
“Because the ad suggested that participating in a lottery was a way to solve financial concerns, we concluded that the ad breached the Code."
