We’ve taken a few highlights from the recent Travolution article to help you understand how the new ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) rules will affect you.
From March 1 2011 the ASA’s remit is being extended to cover ALL marketing communications on companies’ own websites and in other third party space under their control (such as their own pages on Facebook and Twitter). Videos and other types of content is also included.
All content must now adhere to the non-broadcast advertising rules set out in the CAP Code. In brief, such copy must be legal, decent and honest and travel companies must hold supporting evidence to substantiate any claims they make.
Particular areas of concern for travel companies include ensuring consumers are made aware of limited availability where it exists, including all non-optional taxes and duties in headline prices – not as an additional extra; and taking care when using objective superlatives like “cheapest” and ensuring that they hold suitable documentary evidence to substantiate such claims.
Areas that remain outside ASA’s remit, however, include editorial and journalistic content – such as pages detailing their corporate structure and press releases. User generated content that is published on corporate websites or social network sites is also outside the ASA’s remit provided that the company does not “adopt it” and use it in its own marketing communications – for example, a company using a customer’s comment as part of its own marketing material.
They should also conduct a thorough audit of their online marketing to assess whether it already complies with the CAP Code. Any non-compliant material must be removed or made compliant before 1 March 2011.
Going forward travel companies must vet all of their online marketing communications as rigorously as they vet their advertising in traditional print and broadcast media.
Read the rest of the article here.
Here is what ASA has said on the subject: http://www.asa.org.uk/Media-Centre/2011/New-online-remit-enhances-consumer-protection.aspx
Source: Travolution
