The ASA has banned 160 adverts in the last year for including misleading information.
The reasons for these run from something as simple as implying you’ve been trading longer than you actually have to unsubstantiated claims about your product’s environmental pedigree.
It seems it’s easy to attract complaints that your marketing does not comply with the advertising rules.
Now you may think (and many do) – why should I worry about this?
The ASA can and does act on one complaint about an advert.
This means that just ONE person complaining about your ad could trigger an investigation into your marketing activities.
Sure, they can’t fine you like the ICO can, but an upheld adjudication could have a detrimental effect on your brand’s reputation.
Now, you can’t stop people from complaining to the ASA, but you can make sure that the complaint won’t be upheld.
How?
By ensuring that your ad complies with the Codes.
Many of the rules are common sense:
- don’t lie or exaggerate the benefits of your products or services
- ensure testimonials from happy customers are true and in their words
- make sure you can prove any statistics you quote.
If in doubt, ask an expert.
It will cost you something, but an awful lot less than getting it wrong.