Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

- Regulatory body for advertising and marketing campaigns - regulating billboards,ads in magazines,tv ads etc

ASA:

Harmful:

• ads must not contain anything that is likely to condone or encourage violence or anti-social behaviour
• ads, especially those addressed to or depicting a child, must not condone or encourage an unsafe practice
• ads should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society. Particular care should be taken with ads addressed to or depicting children
• ads must not portray or represent children in a sexual way
• ads should comply with the law and should not incite anyone to break it.  

Misleading:

• No advertisement should mislead, or be likely to mislead, by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise
• Marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied that are capable of objective substantiation
• Marketing communications must be obviously identifiable as such

Offensive:

• Advertisements should contain nothing that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Particular care should be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability. 
• Ads featuring sexual imagery, particularly posters that children are more likely to see, must be carefully targeted and avoid causing harm or offence.
• The fact that a product is offensive to some people is not grounds to remove an ad

Harmful ads: 

CRIMINAL DAMAGE 

- Complaints as the ad was harmful - smoking young boys 

- Irresponsible (young children smoking), unsafe practise 

- Complaint upheld (taken down) 

LEVI'S

- Kids playing with fireworks 

- Harmful + irresponsible - may encourage kids to play with fireworks 

- Complaint upheld (taken down) 

MIU MIU 

- Young girl sitting crying on railway 

- Attempting suicide (harmful) 

- Crying on track 

- Impressionable by young people (Famous women)

- Dangerous situation 

DROP DEAD CLOTHING 

- Promoting anorexia 

NO ADDED SUGAR

- Bag round head (irresponsible)

PUMA

- Footballer in a lounge 

- Ad condoned anti social behaviour 

- View famous footballer as role model, saw as right 

- Not upheld 

Misleading Ads:

KELLOGS

- Misleading as didnt express the amount of sugar in product 

- High in sugar and fat - not stated 

- Implied cookies were snack 

- Misleaded that cookies were healthy 

POM JUICE 

- Promoting drink as bomb 

- To cheat death,drink pom juice 

- Misleading that it was an exaggeration of the product 

DAMART 

- 'final reminder' makes you feel like your in trouble, harsh

- Misleading and distressing 

- Clothing company - mislead info 

- Shock and care consumers (not moral as didn't advertise their product)

- Made it out like they owed money 

RIBENA TOOTH KIND 

• Made it as if you will have nice teeth (association to dental) 
• They lied about being credited by the British Dental Association
• Misleading as it contains lots of sugars

Offensive ads: 

ANTONIO DERICI:

-Offensive as they believed it mocked the religion(Catholic religion)

-Pregnant nun - nun not allowed to have sex (mocking/challenging religious beliefs)

JUNKIES:

-Students seen in a night club 

-Offensive towards people with dyslexia as they are saying words the wrong way round (mocking disability as may be hard to read)

BRITISH HUMANIST ASS:

• No god claim 
• Offensive to religions was they believe in god 
• Advertises opinion 
• Stating that religious beliefs are fake 

CHRISTIAN PARTY:

• Deinatly makes it sound like fact 
• Offensive to people with no faith 
• Making it seem like you have to believe in god

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH:

• Distressing ad
• Unsuitable to be seen by children 
• Scary for kids