Burger King reprimanded for advert ‘close to primary school’

Burger King has been reprimanded by the ASA after it placed an advert for its Whopper Jr meal on a bus stop in close proximity to a school.

A complainant said they saw the ad placed close to a primary school, and challenged whether the ad was for a product that was high in fat, salt or sugar (an HFSS product ad) that was directed at children.

The advert depicted the burger alongside a soft drink and chips “a Whopper Jr of a deal £2.99”. The fast food chain argued that the advert “was placed 96 metres from the school and the ad had since been removed”. Advert hosts JCDecaux, said that “the issue had arisen due to a data conflict in their booking system which meant it had been incorrectly placed”.

It was noted by the ASA that the advert was within 100 metres of a primary school and added “it was likely that the audience of the ad would be significantly skewed towards under-16s and that it was therefore directed at children through the context in which it appeared”.

The ASA noted that the advert was placed in close proximity to a primary school “in error”, however considered that the ad’s placement breached the code. The ASA told Burger King “the ad must not be displayed again in close proximity to a primary or secondary school” and added that it needed to take “measures in future to ensure that HFSS product ads were not displayed in close proximity to a primary or secondary school”.