It was an advertising stunt by Warner Bros. in the music department, according to BBC. The ‘Classic Lullabies’ playlist contains all kinds of classic children’s songs, which are interrupted after some songs by advertisements for the film.
“I’ve dreamed of you for 27 years,” says the clown Pennywise in a horror ad. In the film, the same clown terrorizes a group of small children, just like in the classic film It. “I missed you. Oh, how I missed you.” Meanwhile, scary noises are heard in the background.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said such ads could scare children. According to the supervisor, everything must be done to prevent incidents like this in the future.
‘Aimed at 18+’
Although the playlist appears to be aimed at children, it is distributed specifically to users between the ages of 18 and 44 through Spotify’s advertising platform. The ASA therefore acknowledged that Warner Bros. has taken steps to keep scary ads away from children, but stressed that this has not been completely successful. Young users can still open a playlist and turn it on.
The ASA cannot issue fines, but can impose sanctions on companies that regularly breach UK advertising regulations. What hasn’t happened in this incident: both companies only received warnings.
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