Following an A$300,000 penalty on Derodi Pty and Holland Farms Pty and an order to publish corrective advertising, there is a new Australian national standard definition of “free range egg.” Can a UK court order corrective advertising in similar cases? Chloe Deng reports.
A Competition and Markets Authority investigation found that between 2014 and 2015 Total SEO & Marketing Ltd, a search engine optimisation and online marketing company, wrote over 800 fake reviews for 86 businesses that appeared on 26 websites. Ben Dunham reports.
A seemingly objective article on the “Nylon” site about L&T’s new range was in fact paid for by the US chain, as were Instagram postings by 50 fashion “influencers” wearing a Design Lab dress. Barney Sich reports on the consequences.
“Brand new Astras from £9995” said radio commercial references between 15 and 30 September 2015. But a potential customer contacted the dealer on 29 September and was told the offer had ended. Chloe Dumoulin-Richet reports.
A poster outside Paddington station was headlined “Great Western Railway-the railway belongs to the region it serves.” Four complainants to the ASA alleged this misleadingly implied GWR was publicly owned. What was the ASA’s decision? Chloe Deng reports.
Online ads for “ECO acupressure mats” claimed they “helped to relieve stress, reduce headache and back pain and improve circulation.” On what basis could the ASA have jurisdiction over a Latvian website? Daisy Jones reports.
Argos claimed a hairstraightener “was £64.99 [now] £32.49 half price”. Victoria Plum offered a basin unit for “£199 was £299 you save £100.” The ASA ignored the official Pricing Practices Guide when adjudicating on both claims. Chloe Dumoulin-Richet reports.
ECJ limits Daimler AG’s trade mark rights against Budapest dealer Egyud Garage became a former authorised Mercedes Benz dealer. Egyud took steps to stop unauthorised online ads that continued to claim this. Daimler wasn’t satisfied and sued. How far was Egyud obliged to go? Stephen Groom reports.
Sainsbury’s challenges Tesco “Never pay more for your branded shop” campaign CAP’s copy team had cleared it, but was Tesco’s offer to refund the difference if a basket of non “own brand” products was cheaper at Asda, Morrisons or Sainsbury’s misleading? Chloe Deng reports
“A&E is for life-threatening emergencies only” said a poster and website published by Brent Clinical Commissioning Group. Brent Patient Voice complained to the ASA that this was misleading and potentially harmful. Jude King reports.
The ink is almost dry on the long-awaited General Data Protection Regulation. What are the likely key impacts for UK marketers and adtech service providers? Catch Nick Johnson and Stephen Groom’s slides from a recent breakfast briefing here.
A competitor complained to the ASA that a Black & Decker website claim that its ORA Technology vacuum cleaner range “Picks up first time again and again and again” was misleading. Did the substantiation satisfy the ASA? Chloe Deng reports.
