LONDON (Brand Republic) - The advertising watchdog has hit out at companies which flout its codes of conduct and reminded future transgressors of two judicial reviews recently found in its favour.
The details of one High Court ruling that rejected a legal challenge to the Advertising Standards Authority are published today. It covers the ASA鈥檚 decision to uphold complaints against advertising for SmithKline Beecham鈥檚 (now GlaxoSmithKline) Ribena Tooth Kind.
The report highlighted the judge鈥檚 verdict, which rejected SKB鈥檚 claim that the ASA had unnecessarily restricted its free speech.
The report says, 鈥淎ll advertisers must be able to substantiate any claim, whether direct or implied, made in their advertising. It also shows that legal challenges to ASA decisions on 鈥榝ree speech鈥 grounds have an excellent defence in the codes.鈥
The ASA added that it 鈥渢akes no position on the merits of any particular product, service or cause. Our sole concern is with the quality of the advertising鈥.