Advertising
Standards Authority
The Advertising Standards Authority is the independent body set up by
the advertising industry to police the rules laid down in the advertising
codes. The strength of the self-regulatory system lies in both the independence
of the ASA and the support and commitment of the advertising industry,
through the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), to the standards
of the codes, protecting consumers and creating a level playing field
for advertisers
The Advertising
Standards Authority works to keep advertising legal, decent, honest
and truthful. The ASA resolves thousands of complaints each year. The
ASA judges advertisements, direct marketing and sales promotions against
a set of Codes. TheASA's rulings are made independently of both government
and the advertising industry.
You can complain
to the ASA if you
-
think
there is something wrong with an advertisement you have seen or
heard
-
have difficultly
getting goods or a refund for items bought by mail order or through
television shopping channels
-
want to
stop direct mail from companies sent either by post, fax, text message
or e-mail.
The
types of ads the ASA deal with include:
-
Magazine
and newspaper advertisements
-
Radio
and TV commercials (not programmes or programme sponsorship)
-
Television
Shopping Channels
-
Posters
on legitimate poster sites (not flyposters)
-
Leaflets
and brochures
-
Cinema
commercials
-
Direct
mail (advertising sent through the post and addressed to you personally)
-
Door
drops and circulars (advertising posted through the letter box without
your name on)
-
Advertisements
on the Internet, include banner ads and pop-up ads (not claims on
companies’ own websites)
-
Commercial
e-mail and SMS text message ads
-
Ads
on CD ROMs, DVD and video, and faxes
There
are some types of commercial message the ASA don’t deal with;
these include:
-
Election
advertising where the purpose of the ad is to persuade voters in
a local or general election or referendum. Contact the Electoral
Commission for more information http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk
-
Programme
sponsorship (where the name of the programme sponsor is announced
in a ‘credit’ at the beginning and end of a programme,
and when breaks occur in the programme). Contact Ofcom http://www.ofcom.org.uk
-
Websites.
Misleading claims on companies' websites should be reported to your
local trading standards department http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
You can, however, complain to us about sales promotions run on websites
such as special offers, prize draws and competitions.
-
Shop
window displays, claims on products and packaging and point of sale
material. Misleading claims in these situations should be reported
to your local trading standards department http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
Trading standards departments do not, however, look into complaints
about taste and decency, so if you find a shop window display offensive
you should take it up with the shop in the first instance. You may
also want to raise it with your local representatives such as a
councillor or your MP.
ASA
Complaint Process
If you decide to complain to the ASA about an advertisement, They will
acknowledging your complaint within five days of receiving it. If your
complaint is not for them, but for another regulatory body, They shall
tell you at this point; otherwise They shall tell you how their procedures
will be applied.
If your complaint
falls within the remit of the ASA, They shall consider whether there
has been a possible breach of the codes. They shall keep you informed
of progress with the handling of your complaint at intervals of no longer
than 15 working days.
From the point
at which they decide to take up your complaint, a named executive will
be in charge of the case and will act as a continuing point of contact
with you.
Online
Complaint Form
enquiries@asa.org.uk
Tel 020 7492
2222. 9.00am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Dissatisfied
with the ASA decision
If you are dissatisfied with the ASA's decision on your complaint you
may be able to request a review by the Independent Reviewer of ASA Adjudications
provided you write to him within 21 days of receiving the ASA formal
adjudication
Independent
Reviewer of ASA Adjudications
Bloomsbury House,
74-77 Great Russell Street,
London
WC1B 3DA .
