Regulatory Body Slams Game’s Humorous Approach to Trade-Ins
- Game reprimanded by ASA for misleading advert
- Advert showed a man trading a game with his son
- Clearcast claimed no specific games were referenced in the ad
- ASA: Ad was misleading and not realistic
- Game confirmed PC games exclusion from trade-in offer
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has reprimanded Game after a complainant claimed an advertisement suggested the company only accepted trade-ins based on the age of a game. The ad depicted a man passing down a game to his son, who later took it to a Game store and asked an employee, ‘Can I trade this please?’, with the employee replying, ‘Sure’. The complainant argued that they ‘thought PC games were excluded’ from the offer. Clearcast, the creators of the ad, stated they made no reference to any particular game or format and aimed to bring humor to a mundane transaction. They added that the exclusion of PC games was not part of the script’s initial stage. When contacted by ASA, Game confirmed that PC games were excluded from trade-ins and classified games from ‘two console generations ago or more’ as ‘retro’, which were also not accepted. Despite the ASA determining that the ad wasn’t realistic or representative of any specific game, they deemed it misleading due to unclear conditions. The regulatory body instructed Game Retail Ltd to ensure significant limitations are clear in future advertising.
Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate information about the complaint against the advert, the company’s response, and the ASA’s decision without any sensationalism or opinion masquerading as fact.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article contains some irrelevant information and repetitive elements, but overall provides relevant details about the ASA’s decision and the company’s response.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Game Retail Ltd.
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses an advertisement by Game Retail Ltd., a company in the gaming industry, and its impact on their trade-in offer which could affect their financial transactions and customer base.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the text.
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