William Hill removes branding on #ItsComingHome hashtag
UK bookmaker edits logo out of viral World Cup campaign as England reach the semi-finals
William Hill has removed its branding from the #ItsComingHome hashtag on Twitter.
William Hill had sponsored the hashtag since the start of the 2018 World Cup, but the phrase has gone viral following England’s progress so far in Russia.
The hashtag has been used thousands of times alongside viral memes of the Baddiel and Skinner song and until yesterday, it was accompanied by an emoji of a blue and yellow football kit adorned with the William Hill logo.
The hashtag has been widely shared by leading UK brands, including the Beano magazine, which Campaign Live’s Neil Davidson said increased the risk of children being exposed to gambling despite Hills’ Twitter account stating 18+.
#itscominghome Gnash. Gnash. 🏴🏴 pic.twitter.com/SsjzrCMna2
— Beano (@BeanoOfficial) July 7, 2018
Davidson wrote: “Users over and under 18 are inadvertently being exposed to gambling, when all they’re trying to do is express camaraderie by way of a novelty song.
“It’s shameless, sneaky and hopelessly unregulated,” he added.
William Hill has refuted the claims, telling EGR that it voluntarily approached Twitter to request a more inclusive emoji for the hashtag, which has since been changed to the flag of St George, long before Gareth Southgate’s side progressed to the semi-finals.
“We began a Twitter campaign at the start of the World Cup which kicked off in early June,” said William Hill’s head of social, Richard Bloch.
“The hashtags we chose were purposefully selected to run alongside our World Cup marketing campaigns and were aimed at our core demographic.
“The promoted hashtag was mutually withdrawn as the conversation around it expanded beyond our marketing message,” he added.