It might seem a long way away, but it is worth noting that next year the Advertising Standards Authority expands its remit and starts to cover what it calls “advertisers’ own marketing communications in online space under the advertisers’ control.”

What this means is that if you call yourself the “largest supplier of x in the UK” online – then at the moment no one can do much about it if that advert appears on your own site.  But from 1 March next year, they can report you to the ASA.

Now the ASA does not issue fines or anything like that, but they can make life a bit more difficult for you, and it is worth staying on the right side of their regulations if you can.

The simplest regulation of all to remember is, “if you claim it, you ought to be able to prove it”.   That isn’t their language, it is mine, and it is not 100% reliable as a statement, but it more or less works for me when I write adverts for companies.

If you have any questions about the Advertising Standards Authority they are quite good at answering questions – but if you want to try something out on me, by all means do.  01536 399 013.

Tony Attwood