2. What is the ASA?
The ASA stands for the advertising standards authority. This is the UK’s
independent regulator of advertising across all media.
The ASA apply the Advertising Codes, which are written by the
Committees of Advertising Practice.
3. What is their role and function?
The ASA work includes acting on complaints and proactively checking
the media to take action against misleading, harmful or offensive
advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing.
4. What are CAP codes?
The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) write and maintain the UK
Advertising Codes, which are administered by the Advertising Standards
Authority. CAP also offer the industry authoritative advice and guidance on
how to create campaigns that comply with the rules.
The UK Advertising Codes lay down rules for advertisers, agencies and
media owners to follow. They include general rules that state advertising
must be responsible, must not mislead, or offend and specific rules that
cover advertising to children and ads for specific sectors like alcohol,
gambling, motoring, health and financial products.
There are three different types of codes.
1. The UK code of Non-Broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct
Marketing.
2. The UK Code of Broadcast Advertising.
3. Relevant legislation and register of Code changes.
5. An example of an advert that was
banned by the ASA
Volkswagen – Diesel - Bollocks
This advert was banned because of the swearing. The advert start with a flash back of
a child doing things for example painting a picture and she drops water over it and she
answers with “bollocks”. She then continues to use the word “bollocks” a number of
times it then shows us at the end that the father has put petrol in a diesel car and he
answers with “bollocks”. I think the ad is in appropriate because of the language and
the fact that the young child is using the inappropriate language, this will be why the
advert was banned by the ASA.
