Committee of advertising practice (CAP)

Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP)

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.

Example 1:

In 2012 the ASA investigated a claim that an estate agent was “The number 1 agent in Cardiff”. They considered that consumers would understand the claim to mean that the advertiser had sold more properties in Cardiff than any other estate agent in the area. They noted that the advertiser had included properties as ‘sold’ once contracts had been exchanged, prior to completion. They also noted the market share figure was based on calculating the ratio of the number of properties listed to the likely properties sold, rather than on data that related directly to completed sales. The ASA concluded that the advertiser was unable to support the claim that they were the “Number 1 agent”, and concluded the ad misleading (SpicerHaart Group Ltd, 29 February 2012).

Example 2:

There is a non-complaint website where people haven’t complained but CAP have picked up on them for badly advertising. One company called wigshow.co.uk was picked dup on for not showing its geographical address/location on its website. The site failed to make it clear that it was in Hong Kong. In 2013 the ASA considered a further complaint that an image of a "Human Hair Capless Short Curly Wig" used on wigshow.co.uk did not match the actual product and that wigshow.co.uk breached the Code by charging customers for returning items that did not match their description.

Example 3:

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP)

27^th February → Today we're launching a public consultation of proposals to introduce new rules for the advertising of electric cigarettes.

25^th February 2014 → Today we and the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) are announcing our intention to conduct new research and compliance work to ensure that the regulation of food and soft drink advertising continues to be effective and proportionate, particularly when it comes to protecting children.

2012 → Talk talks advert claimed to office the UK’s safest broadband but is was found to be misleading by the CAP. It was no safer than the offered products by other companies. 

2010 → Tesco breached the advertising code in a magazine advertisement for in-store bakeries. It is found to be not true.