The UK’s Advertising Standards Agency has found that the Golden Ticket competition to win a place in Chanel 4’s Big Brother house, organised by the television station in conjunction with Nestlé and Endermol, was not rigged – but warned that the promotion did breach certain competition regulations.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The competition, which was inspired by Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, offered people who found one of a hundred golden tickets in Nestlé’s Kit Kat bars the opportunity to enter the reality TV show ‘Big Brother’.
Of the 100 tickets available, 34 people entered the competition – with a single winner being decided through a lottery-style draw using numbered balls.
The winner, a part-time stripper named Suzie, had auditioned for the show a number of times and was recognised by some of the show’s other housemates. This caused 11 people to complain that the draw had been rigged.
Although an independent observer witnessed the different numbered balls being placed in the machine, an independent observer did not observe the draw itself – breaking CAP Code clause 35.7.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe ASA noted: “An independent observer was present as the balls entered the machine, but not in the period immediately before the draw or at the time the draw took place. Because we considered that an independent observer should have been present and watching throughout the process of the draw and particularly at the point the winning ball was drawn, we concluded that the draw was not conducted under the supervision of an independent observer.”
The authority warned each party to ensure future competitions abide by the rules governing such promotional activity.
