The advertising watchdog has rebuked the Daily Mirror after it failed to correctly administer a football competition run on its website.
Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint made against the Mirror by Institute of Sales Promotion after a member of the public contacted the body outlining how an online promotion to win tickets to the Grass Roots Football Live event had failed to deliver prizes.
The online promotion included text stating: “Mirror.co.uk has 20 pairs of tickets and two pairs of VIP tickets for the event … to give away.
“To win a pair, utilize your blagging skills to tell us why you should win … Post your blag in the comments box below …”
The member of public told the ISP that just seven entrants had posted comments, including him, but he did not win one of the 20 prizes.
The Mirror told the ASA the promotion also appeared in their newspaper with five pairs of tickets were to be given away through the printed edition and the rest via the website.
There had, however, been an oversight. The tickets offered through the newspaper were distributed correctly but the website was overlooked and those who entered via that route were not rewarded.
The ASA told the Mirror to ensure future promotions were fairly administered and did not cause unnecessary disappointment.
Trinity Mirror, owners of the Mirror, said it had taken steps to ensure a similar error did not take place in future.
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