UK Online Advertising Compliance Guidelines: Clear, Actionable, and Human

Today’s theme: UK Online Advertising Compliance Guidelines. Navigate ASA, CAP, BCAP, ICO, CMA, FCA, and platform rules with stories, checklists, and friendly prompts to help your team stay compliant, creative, and confident.

The UK Compliance Landscape at a Glance

ASA, CAP, BCAP, and friends

In the UK, the ASA enforces the CAP and BCAP Codes, while the ICO, CMA, FCA, and Ofcom influence online ads. Knowing who governs which scenario prevents confusion and streamlines decisions across your creative, media, and legal teams.

Truthfulness and Substantiation: Claims That Stand Up

Hold objective claims to rigorous evidence: trials, logs, or third-party data. Puffery can be playful, but measurable promises need documentation ready for ASA scrutiny. Share your strongest proof habit; our newsletter features great examples and practical tips every single month.

Truthfulness and Substantiation: Claims That Stand Up

If you compare with competitors, ensure verifiable, like-for-like metrics, recent data, and fair selection. Avoid denigration or cherry-picking. Clear methodology notes on landing pages build trust with consumers and comfort with regulators, helping reduce investigation risk dramatically in practice.

Ad Labelling and Influencer Transparency

Use clear labels like Ad, Advertisement, or Paid Partnership at the start, not buried. Hashtags should be unambiguous. Platform disclosure tools help, but do not replace your own labels. Link affiliate relationships where relevant, and keep the explanation practical for everyday viewers.

Ad Labelling and Influencer Transparency

If you provide payment, gifts, or control content, you likely created an ad. Agree on copy approval, claims evidence, and audience restrictions upfront. A simple compliance brief prevents ambiguous posts that spark ASA rulings and erode community trust quickly and silently across channels.

Privacy, Cookies, and Targeting under UK GDPR and PECR

For non-essential cookies, ad cookies, and precise targeting, obtain prior, granular, opt-in consent under PECR, documented under UK GDPR. No pre-ticked boxes, no nudging. Offer easy withdrawal. Your CMP should log preferences and synchronize signals across platforms transparently and consistently.

Privacy, Cookies, and Targeting under UK GDPR and PECR

Where relying on legitimate interests for certain measurement, weigh necessity and impact, offer opt-outs, and explain profiling in layered notices. Use Data Protection Impact Assessments for high-risk activities. Tell readers how your team balances performance with privacy in practice this quarter.

Advertising to Children and Vulnerable Audiences

High fat, salt and sugar promotions face placement and targeting restrictions online. Be cautious with advergames and family creators. Avoid direct exhortations to buy or pressure for pester power. Share your safeguards; we will spotlight practical setups other teams successfully apply every month.

Advertising to Children and Vulnerable Audiences

Avoid implying unrealistic results, unsafe practices, or medical endorsements without robust authorization. Claims about supplements require specific substantiation and lawful wording. When in doubt, simpler lifestyle framing reduces risk. Subscribe for our plain-English checklist tailored for wellness advertisers doing social video.

Sector Rules Spotlight: Finance, Gambling, Environmental Claims

Financial promotions that pass muster

Secure FCA approval where required, avoid past performance promises, and keep risk warnings prominent and legible on every device. Keep records. Test legibility in dark mode and small screens; these practical checks often decide whether a campaign survives the very first complaint.

Gambling and alcohol advertising

Do not target self-excluded or underage users. Avoid implying gambling is a solution to financial problems or social success. For alcohol, promote responsible consumption and avoid youthful appeal. Comment with tools you use for age gating and exclusion lists across networks consistently.

Green claims and the CMA's Green Claims Code

Environmental claims must be truthful, specific, and substantiated across the product life cycle. Avoid vague green imagery without proof. If benefits are limited, say so. Clear contextual qualifiers prevent misleading impressions. Share your toughest eco claim for a future, practical, case-based walkthrough.

A Short Story: The Influencer Post That Nearly Sank a Launch

A startup gifted a creator and suggested talking points, but forgot clear ad labels and evidence for bold performance promises. Overnight, screenshots spread. The audience felt misled, and a complaint landed. Anxiety spiked across the team before breakfast even finished brewing.