Who: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and AGN Events t/a Rock N Roll Circus
Where: United Kingdom
When: 26 November 2025
Law stated as at: 23 December 2025
What happened:
A social media post by Rock N Roll Circus featured the following text: “[siren emoji] GIVEAWAY TIME [siren emoji] Win 4 VIP tickets to see @bryanadams at Rock N Roll Circus – with special guest @melaniecmusic […] Enter via the link in our bio”.
The complainant, who had been told that they had won a prize but was subsequently unable to claim it, challenged whether the ad omitted significant conditions of the promotion.
Rock N Roll Circus argued that the deadline to claim the prize was clearly stated within the “competition details” section on the competition landing page and additionally in the email sent to competition winners. Further, the terms and conditions of the promotion specified how winners would be contacted, and the timeframe in which they were required to claim the prize.
The ASA upheld the complaint. The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) requires that marketing communications for promotions provide all significant conditions or information where the omission of such information is likely to mislead participants. Such conditions may include information about how to participate, and other factors likely to influence a consumer’s decision about a promotion.
The complainant received an email informing them that they had won free concert tickets, which were required to be claimed within the following three days. However, information regarding this deadline was not included in the ad itself. The screenshot of the competition landing page provided by Rock N Roll Circus was partial and did not include that information. Upon request, Rock N Roll Circus did not provide the ASA with a full screenshot of the landing page as it would have appeared at the time of the competition. The ASA considered that the deadline was significant information about how to participate, and because the ad omitted such information, it was likely to mislead, and the promotion had not been administered fairly.
Why this matters
The ASA continues to monitor prize promotions and competitions ads to ensure that potential participants are not misled as to the key terms and conditions of such competitions. All significant conditions, including deadlines to enter and/or claim prizes, must be included in the ad. Prize competition operators should ensure transparency in their promotional materials to avoid regulatory scrutiny.
