Context
The ASA has published details of an ‘upheld’ Ruling in relation to two paid-for Meta (Facebook) ads for a training accreditation company which made misleading comparative claims with identifiable competitors which weren’t supported by evidence and could not be verified by consumers. The Ruling forms part of a wider group of investigations on companies offering Continuing Professional Development (‘CPD’) accreditation services.
Firms seeking accreditation of their training (either in-house or services they provide) should ensure that appropriate due diligence is carried out in relation to any potential accreditation body.
Key points to note and next actions
- Two issues were investigated, both of which were Upheld.
- The first ad included the text “Join thousands of learning and training providers who’ve future-proofed their business with CPD accreditation […] CPD accreditation from the UK’s leading body can help you” followed by bullet points that stated, “Validate your expertise”; “Win more corporate and B2B contracts” and “Stand out in a crowded market”. It included a video in which a CPD adviser spoke to the camera about CPD and referred viewers to a free guide on how to “sense check” their training.
- The second ad included the same text as ad (a). Additional text stated, “GROW your TRAINING BUSINESS”. Smaller text near the bottom of the ad stated, “Discover how CPD accreditation can open doors to new opportunities” and included a call to action that stated, “DOWNLOAD TODAY!”.
- The CPD Register Ltd challenged the claim “UK’s leading body” in ads (a) and (b) for being misleading, asking whether it could be substantiated and was verifiable.