Friday, September 03, 2010

CAP Code to apply to organisations' own website content and social networking sites

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) have extended the scope of the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code) to cover, from 1 March 2011, marketing communications on an organisation's own website and in other non-paid-for online space under a company's control, such as social networking sites. Currently, the Code applies to sales promotions wherever they appear but only to other marketing communications in paid-for online space. However, the Code's remit is to be extended in response to a formal recommendation from a wide cross-section of UK industry. As CAP accepts that it may be difficult to decide what marketing communications are covered by the new rules, it has set out a new three-step test to assist. The change represents a major extension to the remit of the ASA and CAP. Organisations have six months to ensure that their websites and other online space under their control comply with the code. The extended remit follows the introduction of a new CAP Code and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) Advertising Standards Code on 1 September 2010.

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