Sadiq Khan defends TfL ban on West End theater ad that featured wedding cake
Adik Khan protected ad removal for a West End theatrical performance from Londonof the Russian transport network, because it depicts a wedding cake.
The the mayor said the poster had disrupted Transport for London (TfL) rules aimed at keeping junk food from appearing online.
But he faced criticism from deputy leader Emma Best City Hall Conservatives – who said the decision seemed “absolutely strange” and also went against his aim of promoting culture in London.
The ad was for Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding, a dinner party comedy now playing at the Wonderville Theater in the Haymarket. It features the main characters standing on top of a giant sponge cake filled with jam and cream and covered in icing.
It was removed because it was found to be in breach of TfL’s policy on advertising products with ‘high fat, salt and sugar’ content. The rules were introduced under Mr Khan’s leadership to help reduce childhood obesity in the capital.
The issue was raised by Ms Best during Mayor’s Question Time on Thursday morning.
Mr Khan told the town hall meeting that TfL was working to apply the “strict” policy in a consistent manner and that a government-developed “nutrient profiling model” was being used to determine which foods could be included in advertising.
“All the evidence shows that TfL’s policy is working,” the mayor said, adding that peer-reviewed research showed it helps households make fewer harmful purchases and saves the NHS money.
He said TfL was “always happy to work with brands to help them adhere to their advertising policies”.
Ms Best pointed out that the marketing department promoting the show had reportedly spent around £20,000 on posters and a further £5,000 on a new advertising campaign which removed the cake from the image. She asked Mr Khan if he thought it was right that the original poster had been banned.
The mayor replied: “If this particular theater decides to print an ad before it gets confirmation [from TfL that the advert is compliant]then this is clearly a problem for them as a customer.
“TfL is pretty clear about its policy and everyone else over the last few years seems to be following it.
“I’m obviously sorry for any financial loss to this theater company – I would suggest they speak to the company they used to make sure next time they get confirmation of compliance before printing posters.”
Ms Best said she found it “weird” that she had seen an ad for Subway sandwiches on her commute to work, and claimed posters featuring the chocolate and burgers could be found elsewhere on the chain.
Emma Best AM challenged Mayor Sadiq Khan at Thursday’s town hall meeting
/ London Assembly’s YouTube channelShe told Mr Khan: “I was on tube often, a tingling sensation. I’ve never felt like eating wedding cake. I’ve never seen an ad and thought, “Actually, I think I’m going to stop and buy myself a wedding cake.”
“Don’t you see that it seems quite strange and contrary to the principles of promoting culture in London?”
The mayor reiterated that TfL’s policy has been “well known for a number of years” and that London’s theaters and concert venues are busy.
Mayor Sadiq Khan defended TfL’s decision
/ London Assembly’s YouTube channelHe said the policy helped stop children from pressuring their parents to buy them high-fat food, to which Ms Best replied: “Yes, my children often ask me to stop and buy them a wedding cake. It is difficult.”
She added that Mr Khan was making the wrong comparison between the play’s ad and a fast food ad, and she questioned whether TfL’s policy was actually reducing childhood obesity in London.
The mayor admitted there was “no single silver bullet” to solve the problem, but said he was pursuing a number of other policies to tackle it, such as encouraging London schools to become “water-only schools” – where water and some forms of milk are the only drinks allowed.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sadiq-khan-wedding-cake-advert-tfl-tony-tina-ban-obesity-b1095815.html
