ASA gets tough on hit-and-run advertising

The ASA's Code of Advertising Practice states that "those who are bound by the Code agree to observe it in spirit and in the letter, and not to circumvent it by dubious ingenuity". To eliminate flagrant disregard of the rules the ASA has been tightening the sanctions imposed on transgressors, as can be seen in the following recent rulings:

Chicken-Licken/Kentucky - Chicken Licken used a character very similar to KFC's Colonel Saunders, together with part of KFC's payoff line "Finger Licken Good". The ads were run over a long weekend, which the ASA regarded as deliberate and disingenuous. In view of this, the ASA insisted that Chicken Licken publish a summary of the ruling on television.

Status/Axe - Status used ads featuring a car guard character holding a deodorant can similar in appearance to that of the AXE brand's and bearing the name 'EKSE'. The ASA ordered the ad to be withdrawn, but on the night of the ruling a new ad was flighted depicting a similar scenario to the original ad. The ASA viewed the second advertisement as a blatant and undoubted breach of the ruling, both in its content and timing, and imposed a sanction of a 12-month pre-clearance suspension on Status.

Opel Corsa/VW Polo - a Corsa campaign played on the words "Poloneck", "Polokwane", "Marco-Polo" and the game of Polo. The voiceover on the TV ads went "The new Opel Corsa Classic, more exciting than Polo". The ASA ruled that the context of the entire campaign conjured up a comparison between the VW Polo and the Opel Corsa Classic. The TV ad in particular was seen as part of a well-developed and orchestrated campaign which breached the Code of Advertising because of its disparaging and comparative nature. The ASA ordered Corsa to withdraw the entire campaign with immediate effect.

ASA Online Ad Library
The ASA online Ad Library is an archive of all Committee rulings over the years. It covers all landmark and general rulings and all precedents. An information search can be conducted by entering a relevant keyword or by entering a product or brand name. This library can be used as a planning tool to prepare advertising that meets the requirements of the Code. It also offers a background history to some of the major cases that have been considered by the ASA. Access to the Ad Library is available to individual or corporate members at minimal rates.

The Ad Library is a sub-section of the ASA website. The site has been recently revamped in line with the ASA's current image. The website also contains sections such as the Consumer Code (a simplified guide of advertising rules to help consumers), General Links (a golden connection to various organisations), the ASA Statistics, Annual Reports, Recent Rulings and many other items of interest. For more in-depth information visit the ASA website, www.asasa.org.za.