ASA news and archive

Majority of Instagram ads not labelled correctly by brands and influencers

The grey area of advertising on Instagram remains much too broad, with just 35 percent of ads clearly labelled by influencers and brands. A new report by the ASA, British Advertising Standards Authority, finds influencers not sticking to the rules with too much content not disclosed as advertising. In September last year, the ASA undertook a...

BusinessFeatured

Pretty Little Thing advert banned for being 'overly sexualized'

An advertisement by fast fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing has been banned for being offensive and overly sexualized. The campaign, which features scantily dressed women wearing exposing lingerie, was shown in a YouTube advertisement but banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for depicting women as sex objects. According to the...

Fashion Featured

Boohoo faux fur jumper found to contain real fur

Online retailer Boohoo has been condemned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for selling a faux fur pom pom jumper that was found to contain real fur, which it states was “misleading” to consumers. The UK advertising watchdog upheld complaints by Humane Society International (HSI) UK, and ruled that the advert for the jumper on the...

Fashion

Urban Outfitters forced to remove ad with too skinny model

ASA, the UK advertising watchdog, has forced retailer Urban Outfitters to pull an online intimates ad from its site that featured a skinny model, claiming her "inner thigh gap" promoted an image that was "irresponsible and harmful”. The Advertising Standards Authority received a complaint about the photo, which was advertising a pair of...