First taste: ASA's first rulings on 'less healthy' food and drink advertising restrictions
The ASA issues its first rulings clarifying the scope of the “less healthy” food advertising restrictions.
The ASA issues its first rulings clarifying the scope of the “less healthy” food advertising restrictions.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has published a framework setting out guidance and principles on the environmental information airlines and other booking organisations should provide to passengers.
CAP’s enforcement notice and guidance note on loot box disclosure reinforce ASA rulings requiring mobile game publishers to disclose the presence of loot boxes and clearly signpost prize probabilities.
The ASA found that a Betway ad clearly depicted Sir Lewis Hamilton, a personality of strong appeal to under 18s, and that creative tweaks and platform targeting were not enough to avoid a breach of the “strong appeal” rules.
The ASA has upheld complaints against Kit & Kin’s green marketing for its nappy and wipes range, finding that “eco”, “sustainable” and “biodegradable” claims were absolute, unsubstantiated and gave a misleading impression of the products’ environmental impact.
The ASA holds online pharmacies responsible for customers’ social media posts sharing weight-loss medication referral codes.
The ASA found that ZING Toothpaste’s ads were misleading because they displayed five-star ratings and review counts that closely mimicked Trustpilot’s format but were not supported by the company’s actual Trustpilot profile.
The ASA ruled that a TV ad for travel insurance claiming that there was “no age limit” for cover was misleading because it failed to disclose material age-based restrictions on trip durations.
The ASA upheld complaints against train operating companies for unsubstantiated “lowest price” advertising claims, finding that neither operator could demonstrate it would beat competitors’ prices given the regulated rail fare framework and the availability of split-ticketing services.
The Advertising Association has published a voluntary best practice guide, developed under the UK government’s Online Advertising Taskforce, setting out eight core principles for the responsible use of generative AI in advertising.
ASA-commissioned research finds that consumers struggle to distinguish influencer ads from organic social media content and want clear, prominent disclosure labels. Labels such as “Commission Paid”, “Paid Partnership” and “Ad” were seen as the most effective.
CAP publishes an article explaining the ASA’s remit in relation to cross-border ads.