ASA

advertising standards authority (ASA)

Adverts in print, radio or video format must not be deemed harmful, misleading or offensive.

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.  
• marketers must not use a shocking claim to attract attention.

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.