Google's Taskmaster Partnership Falls Foul of Britain's Ad Regulator

In late October last year, British broadcaster Channel 4 announced that it was to enter a six-week partnership with Google and Avalon, the latter of which created the comedy series Taskmaster. This would see a takeover of an entire ad break each Thursday evening during the broadcast of an episode for the duration of the deal. Each would focus on a single challenge undertaken by celebrities Al Murray and Desiree Burch and would be hosted by creator Alex Horne. Following two complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority has now partially banned the content from running again and decreed that any future content must be clearly distinguishable as adverts. A first for the partners Taskmaster, a show in which a group of celebrities compete in set missions to score points against each other across a series of 10 episodes, has been running on Channel 4 for three years. It originated in 2014 on digital channel Dave, where it ran for five years. For this partnership the three-and-a-half-minute long ad breaks ran with the word “#ad” superimposed on the bottom right of the screen. It came about through 4Studio, the social-first branded entertainment division within its sales team, alongside Google and its media agencies OMD UK and Essence. https://twitter.com/GoogleUK/status/1453058932000399364?s=20&t=b9mSz9ghrxAB4N8fQTC_ig At the time of announcing the deal, David Amodio, deputy head of digital innovation and 4Studio, said: “This exciting collaboration places hugely entertaining Taskmaster content at the heart of Google’s significant TV ad campaign whilst bringing even more of the much-loved show to fans across our social channels, seamlessly integrating the brand into one of Channel 4’s most popular programs. It’s a brilliant example of how 4Studio is working with partners to deliver unique, quality, social-first series that our audiences love to engage with.” Adding to that, Nishma Robb, director of brand and reputation marketing for Google, said: "We're delighted to be partnering with Channel 4 and Taskmaster on this project—the team [has] found an incredibly unique (and funny) way to shine a light on how products like Google Translate and Google Lens help foster understanding and connection. It's the central theme of our current campaign. I'd like to thank everyone involved for their efforts, and I hope fans of the show enjoy!" A question of audience recognition The two complaints challenged whether the segments were obviously adverts and whether they were distinguishable from the main program. The content ran across both linear and digital platforms included Channel 4’s Facebook account and Taskmaster's YouTube account, with shorter edits posted to Channel 4’s Instagram. The first campaign saw the contestants tasked with “[teaching] the teacher how to make an origami boat,” during which Google would use its translation feature through the contestants' mobile phones to help guide the challenge. The second campaign was a 30-second edit of this episode with both ending with the Google logo appearing on screen, although the shorter edit encouraged viewers to find out who won by visiting the YouTube channel. The third TV ad was also 30 seconds long with various clips of a challenge titled “Who Ate the Malina Quickest?” The Google logo was briefly visible at the beginning followed by the Taskmaster logo with "#ad" appearing for three seconds. During this ad the celebrities used Google Translate and Google Lens to solve a puzzle, once again encouraging viewers to visit YouTube to find out who the winner was, with the Google logo also appearing at the end. https://twitter.com/taskmaster/status/1451280881272844306?s=20&t=dPK3r6oG7ytuKsp1AOopWg Channel 4 highlighted the difference in format from the main show: the campaign videos did not have the studio segments where decisions around the winners would be made and, unlike the main program, displayed Google’s logo and the word "#ad" during all segments. Google pointed out that no specific rules had been set about the length of time "#ad" should feature on the screen while Channel 4 also claimed that it believed that there had been “an increase in the media literacy of audiences” who would be able to distinguish the difference between advertising and editorial content. Clearcast, which works with advertisers to ensure that their campaigns will meet regulatory standards, made the same points around the attempted differentiation from the main program and its use of the Google logo and "#ad." The use of the Google logo and YouTube link were not sufficient to stand them apart either. As a result, neither will be allowed to be used again and if the partnership is repeated then their format must be altered to be clearer as adverts. The rulings The ASA agreed that the longer advert was more distinguishable from the main program and that there was clear messaging that an advertising break was coming up to ensure viewers would be able to tell the difference, alongside the shift in format and the use of "#ad" and the logos. However, the shorter 30-second edits were found not to clearly differentiate or convey that they were adverts and while "#ad" was displayed for three seconds at the beginning of both, it was not long enough. “We considered that ads… remained reminiscent of the program Taskmaster and particular care should be taken to ensure viewers were not confused between the two,” explained the ASA in part of its ruling around the ban. [Updated: April 6, 2022] In a statement on the ruling, a spokesperson for Google said it would respect the ASA's decision but explained: "Google is committed to responsible advertising and takes considerable precautions to ensure our ad campaigns are transparent and clearly identifiable as advertising." “While we welcome the ASA’s decision not to uphold the complaint against one longer TV ad included in this ad campaign, we are disappointed that the ASA ruled against two short ads despite the prominent display of the #ad designation, coupled with other clear ad-signaling measures which we felt met both the spirit and the letter of the BCAP Code." 'We Don’t Mention the Brand:' Inside Channel 4's Social-First Reality Show for Instagram