Barclays uproar over paedo ad

Barclays is demanding an explanation from its agency after press reports revealed its latest TV and YouTube ad campaign – aimed at highlighting the bank’s sponsorship of the Premier League – featured a convicted paedophile.
BBH London has already recut the ad, featuring scenes with real-life football fans, which initially aired last month. It has now been pulled.
According to the Sun on Sunday, West Ham fan Darren Bedwell – pictured sitting next to a boy in the crowd – was added to the Sex Offenders Register after pleading guilty to possessing indecent images of children in 2007.
The agency contacted fans through online forums and supporters’ clubs but Bedwell slipped through checks. It is claimed all fans received a nominal fee for appearing in the ads.
Barclays said: “We’re very grateful to The Sun for bringing this serious issue to our attention. We have asked the advertising agency that produced the film to explain to us what went wrong in their vetting process to allow this to happen, and we have also ordered that the advert be immediately recut to remove the individual from the footage before it is broadcast again.
BBH London said that it had already edited the ad. A statement from the agency read: “Usually when looking for talent to use in commercials we hire actors via casting agencies where full checks are employed. In this instance, to ensure authenticity, we recruited 400 real football fans for the crowd scenes alongside professional actors. After this was brought to our attention we immediately took the ad off air and have re-edited it.”