KFC and Kellogg’s have both had adverts banned by the watchdog after complaints that the firms were targeting children with marketing campaigns.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned an ad for KFC’s Mars Krushems drink which appeared on a telephone box a short distance from the entrance to a primary school, for breaking rules around the promotion of products high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS).
The ASA said it was taking action as it was “highly likely” that the ad’s location meant that children under 16 made up “significantly more than 25 per cent of the audience of the ad”.
The regulator also banned an ad for Kellogg’s Coco Pops Granola which was shown during the children’s programme ‘Mr Bean’. While the granola itself is not HFSS, the ASA said Coco Pops was a well-established brand, and Coco the Monkey, who was used to advertise all the products in the range, was also “well-established as an equity brand character”.
As a result, the watchdog said many adults and children were “likely to very strongly associate the Coco Pops brand and Coco the Monkey primarily with Coco Pops original cereal”, which is a HFSS product.
