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 power of user-generated content (“UGC”) as a promotional tool is ubiquitous and well understood; however, global marketers face challenges when trying to approach a campaign from an international perspective.  A recent development concerning UGC contests in Italy has caught the attention of global marketers.

A UGC contest usually involves a promotional prize event where

Last week the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) announced relaxed regulations for advertising e-cigarettes through television broadcasting. From November, advertisers will be able to show their e-cigarette products on television having previously been banned from doing so. The introduction of the new rules has largely been welcomed with many finding previous rules unclear and inconsistent.

The International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA) has delivered an open letter to the World Health Organisation (WHO), voluntarily pledging to cease marketing unhealthy food to children by 2016. The IFBA’s members include some of the world’s largest food and drink companies including PepsiCo, Nestle, Kellogg and Unilever.

The restriction is based upon a set

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

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