Information, news and updates on legal and regulatory activities pertaining to advertising and marketing around the globe
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that Three’s Muppet-themed ad, featuring a character victoriously punching into the air, which claimed that the mobile company was the ‘undisputed’ market leader in terms of network reliability, can no longer be shown in its current form.
In addition to a complaint made by a member of the …
The ASA has banned two ads displayed by US clothes retailer, American Apparel, which it says are “offensive and irresponsible” and in breach of CAP Code rules 1.3 (responsible advertising), 4.1 (harm and offence) and 5.1 (children). This latest adjudication is the sixth time in just the last two and a half years that the…
The ASA has a new strategy for regulating ads, meaning it won’t always wait for complaints before acting against an offending brand. While the ASA has always had the power to take action itself without having to receive complaints, it’s clear that the regulator is now planning on taking a more proactive approach to enforcement.…
The ASA upheld a decision today concerning a campaign for e-cigarettes brand “Leolites” featuring the slogan: “E-CIGARETTES HAVE EVOLVED. LEOLITES.COM. LOVE YOUR LUNGS.”
The ASA considered that this slogan would likely be viewed by consumers to be a positive health claim, and judged it to be misleading. The brand owner contested this, and held that…
The ASA has taken the “unusual step” of immediately removing an ad by a company called Koosday for a club night featuring a man slumped against a car with the text “I DON’T WANT TO DIE SOBER”. The ad appeared on car bonnets and prompted a complaint that it irresponsibly linked alcohol with driving.
The…
As we have previously reported here, native advertising is intended to form a part of users’ online experiences, aiming to engage and compel with minimal disruption. Often the content of native advertising is high quality, reaching out to an audience’s wants and needs, sometimes going viral. Clearly marketers are working within divergent boundaries; creating…
Last week, the ASA ordered Paddy Power to remove a newspaper ad offering “money back” on bets if Oscar Pistorius is found not guilty of murder. The ad showed a photograph of the South African Paralympian superimposed on a statue of an Oscar award, with the words: “It’s Oscar Time. Money back if he …
Kronenbourg’s advertising campaign starring French footballing icon Eric Cantona has been banned. The ASA investigated two separate ads for the same campaign; a TV ad and a print ad. The TV ad explained how French men were lauded like “British footballers” for growing the French sourced Strisselpalt Hop, a key ingredient of Kronenbourg. The print…
Following a complaint from the Independent Healthcare Advisory Service, the ASA has banned botox ads by Dermaskin and HB Health of Knightsbridge. The websites of each advertiser promoted the use of botox, stating it has the ability to make users appear younger and it leads to “astonishing results”. The ASA has ruled that such language…
In a rare move, the ASA overturned at the end of last year its previous decision to reject a complaint about the accuracy of data used in a St John Ambulance ad, and has banned the ad in its current form, after an independent review. The ad (watch it here) was the 10th…
