Context
In its work on reviewing financial promotions many of the ASA’s comments surround the need to have the appropriate substantiation for any claims made.
Around 70% of the complaints received by the ASA are about misleading advertising. In UKGI’s experience of reviewing marketing, websites and financial promotions, the most common comment we have made is whether evidence is held to support statements and claims made in marketing and promotions.
Key points to note
The ASA has published some useful advice in relation to substantiation in advertising:
- Hold the evidence BEFORE making the claim
- The evidence must be commensurate to the claim being made
- Substantiate the claim as it is likely to be understood by consumers
Next actions
Whilst we have included this item for information and awareness, we advise firms to always have evidence available for any claims they make in their marketing campaigns.