Ladbrokes’ Mark Wahlberg ad breaches Ad Standards for violence

An advertisement for Entain’s Ladbrokes featuring Mark Wahlberg as Mike Iceberg has been found in breach of the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics Section 2.3, advertising shall not present or portray violence unless it is justifiable in the context of the product or service advertised.

The Mike Iceberg character was introduced in a campaign by independent agency Thinkerbell in May earlier this year.

The complaints were for a spot that shows three men in a kitchen juggling apples. One of the men said he has three going at once, while another man showed his phone and stated he has four. A voice-over gave details on a same race multi promotion. Mike Iceberg, Mark Wahlberg’s character, was shown bouncing a ball off the window. He said: ‘I’m not going to lie. You Ladbroked it. You Ladbroked it good’. He then threw one of the balls and hit the juggling man in the face.