Advertising Standards Authority | ASA

What is the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)?

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK’s regulator of advertising across all media, including television, the internet, sales promotions and direct marketing. The ASA’s role is to ensure that advertisements are lawful, truthful and decent under the Advertising Codes. By applying the Advertising Codes, the Advertising Standards Authority makes sure the standards of advertising are kept to a high level. The principal of the codes are that advertisements should not mislead people, cause harm or offend members of the public.

The Advertising Standards Authority will consider misleading, inappropriate and offensive advertisements. This includes television and radio commercials, newspaper and magazine advertisements, brochures, leaflets and posters. The ASA will also consider cinema commercials, e-mail and SMS text message advertisements and advertisements on the internet, including banner and display advertisements and paid-for sponsored search advertisements.

If consumers have had difficulty receiving goods or obtaining a refund for items they have bought by mail order or through a TV shopping channel or if they feel a sales promotion is being unfairly run or have received a special offer that left them dissatisfied, consumers can report these concerns to the Advertising Standards Authority and they will investigate these concerns. The Advertising Standards Authority also regulates competitions, prize draws and sales promotions.

The Advertising Standards Authority ensures that sales promotions are run fairly and will stop offensive, misleading or harmful advertising. The ASA also helps reduce unwanted commercial mail being sent through the postal service, helps reduce unwanted email and text messaging and also resolves mail order purchase disputes. The ASA relies on the backing of the Office of Fair Trading and OFCOM to report offenders that are breaking the rules.

Every complaint that is made to the Advertising Standards Authority regarding advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing are investigated. The results of these investigations are published online every Wednesday on the ASA website. It is the responsibility of the advertising industry for writing the codes and enforcing ASA rulings through the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). CAP represents the main industry bodies representing media owners, advertisers and agencies.

The advertising standards codes are split up in to different categories for different advertising mediums such as television advertising, radio advertising, teletext advertising and various other categories. There are different rules relating to different products and marketing styles. The advertising codes can be viewed online on the Advertising Standards Authority website.

Unsolicited Sponsorship Advertising Sales Calls

If you have been involved in an advertising transaction with a support publishing firm and are dissatisfied with the way you were dealt with or have concerns regarding the legitimacy of the firm or are concerned the firm is not trading within the codes and would like to report these concerns to an official regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Authority is best suited to officially process your complaint.

If you wish to make a complaint against a support publishing firm regarding the standard of their products or the content of their advertisements they are publishing or are having difficulties receiving goods from a support publishing firm purchased by mail order over the telephone or are having difficulty receiving a refund for items purchased by mail order from a support publishing firm and would like to make an official complaint, you can complete an official complaint form online on the ASA website using the link we have provided below.

Please note that TAPA is not an advertising regulatory body, advertising watchdog or government agency and cannot officially process complaints regarding advertising issues with support publishing firms. TAPA is a private practice that provides assistance to businesses that are involved in legal disputes with support publishing firms and helps prevent unsolicited advertising sales calls being made to businesses from support publishing firms.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) can be contacted on 0207 492 2222 or by visiting;

www.asa.org.uk

You can also contact the ASA with any questions, complaints or concerns you may have in writing to;

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
Mid City Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6QT

Please note that TAPA has no association, link, partnership or involvement with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The above details are for information purposes only that TAPA feels may be of relevance to browsers of this website.