New section on e-cigarettes included in ASAI Code of Standards
Updated code from Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) features new sections on e-cigarettes and gambling and revised sections on food (including rules for advertisements addressed to children), health & beauty and environmental claims
Print29 February 2016
From tomorrow, Tuesday, 1 March 2016, the new Code of Standards for Advertising and Marketing Communications in Ireland from The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI), will come into force.
E-cigarettes are specifically mentioned in a new section of the code. This states marketing communications for e-cigarettes should “contain nothing which promotes the use of a tobacco product or shows the use of a tobacco product in a positive light”.
Under the code, all commercial marketing communications across all media must be “legal, decent, honest and truthful”. The updated code follows a comprehensive review undertaken by the ASAI which involved a significant public consultation process with a wide range of government departments and agencies, consultations with consumer groups and other NGOs, and consultation with the advertising industry including advertisers, agencies and the media.
Some of the key changes and additions to the 7th edition of the ASAI Code of Standards for Advertising and Marketing Communications in Ireland are as follows:
- New section on e-cigarettes (page 105)
New code rules include that “marketing communications for e-cigarettes should be socially responsible and should contain nothing which promotes the use of a tobacco product or shows the use of a tobacco product in a positive light.”
- New section on gambling (page 73)
New code rules include that “all advertisements for gambling services or products shall contain a message to encourage responsible gambling and shall direct people to a source of information about gambling and gambling responsibly.”
- New rules relating to food advertising (page 59)
Completely updated food section, bringing the ASAI code into line with the EU regulation concerning nutritional and health claims. The EU regulation on nutrition and health claims is mandatory and seeks to protect consumers from misleading or false claims.
- New rules relating to children’s advertising (page 55)
New Code rules include “except those for fresh fruit or fresh vegetables, marketing communications should not seem to encourage children to eat or drink a product only to take advantage of a promotional offer: the product should be offered on its merits, with the offer as an added incentive.”
- Health & beauty section (page 79)
The rules in this section are designed to ensure that marketing communications for medicines, medical devices, treatments, health-related products and beauty products receive the necessary high level of scrutiny.
- Environmental claims (page 99)
The rules in this section are designed to ensure that marketing communications do not exaggerate the environmental benefits to consumers of products or services.
The ASAI says it accepts complaints from any person or body who considers that a marketing communication may be in breach of the code. The full code (7th edition) can be viewed at www.asai.ie.
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