ASA Hot Topic Spotting online ads

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Bethanie Evans
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ASA Hot Topic Spotting online ads Background Internet use has become an everyday task; many of us book our holidays online, search for discounts on products or services, order our groceries and

1 ASA Hot Topic Spotting online ads Background Internet use has become an everyday task; many of us book our holidays online, search for discounts on products or services, order our groceries and upload pictures onto our social media profiles. But amidst all of this, we re likely to see or even be targeted by ads at one stage or another. Ads are a legitimate way for companies to show how their business, product or service stands out from the crowd, and this can in turn help us make informed decisions while shopping online, so long as the ads we see are clear and responsible. The good news is that most ads are clear and responsible because of the rules in place which require that ads don t mislead, harm or offend. But we know that due to their being many different types of ads online, which often appear differently depending on the device or platform we re using, that it can be challenging to easily spot an ad in all instances. We ve produced this guide so that you can be confident spotting an ad online and avoid being misled. The rules One of the most common concerns we hear about online ads is that the content of an ad was misleading, and sometimes that includes uncertainty as to whether the content you ve seen online is advertising or not. The rules in this area state: Ads must be obviously identifiable as such Ads must not materially mislead or be likely to do so Advertisers are allowed to make their ads appealing, including by making the content more similar to interesting editorial content, but advertisers must be cautious that, in seeking to make ads more inviting, they do not camouflage their advertisements. How to spot an ad online We often consider complaints about ads appearing on company websites, but we also look at complaints about ads appearing on social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as those appearing on search engines like Google.

2 2 ASA Hot Topic: Online ads Search engine ads Many of us find web pages or information we re looking for via search engines. What you might not be aware of is that some of the results on the search page are paid for by companies, while others are organic (i.e. ads which appear naturally). The paid or sponsored ads are the ones that you see both above and along the right hand side of the search results (outlined in red). Search engines have their own way of marking where advertising appears. In the example above, the ads are highlighted with a yellow ad icon. These ads are shown based on keywords, and like most online ads, they can be targeted towards a specific audience, by using data captured on the users location, device, and interests. The organic results are the non-paid search engine results (outlined in blue). A company will edit the content on their own website so that they appear as one of the higher-ranking results on the search engine results page. They might do this by adding links, editing copy, or improving their web address (URL). This type of content falls outside of our remit.

3 3 ASA Hot Topic: Online ads Display ads on web pages Another type of online advertising is display ads. Online display ads come in many forms, including banner (see top bar below) pop-up (generally a new web page which opens to display the ad), floating (an ad that moves across the screen or above the page content), and expanding ads. These ads tend to use pictures, logos, videos, animation, and other types of graphics to attract page viewers. Below we ve outlined in red where advertising most commonly appears, but it s worth noting that ads can also appear in other areas of the web page. Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) Ever wonder why it seems like ads are being targeted according to your interests while you re browsing the internet? That s because often they are. Companies collect information about your internet browsing activity, such as websites you ve visited or online searches you ve made using a cookie (small text files) stored on your computer. These companies then put that information and your cookie number into relevant interest folders, which helps advertisers to send you more personalised ads. For example, if you love to travel and frequently visit travel related websites you re more likely to see ads for travel related services and products. But don t worry, the information collected and used for this type

4 4 ASA Hot Topic: Online ads of advertising is not personal, in that it does not identify you the user in the real world. No personal information, such as your name, address or address, is used. The rules require that advertisers give a clear and comprehensive notice that they re collecting and using web viewing behaviour data for the purposes of OBA, either in or around the display ad delivered using OBA. The notice should link to a page where you can opt out of the collection and use of web viewing behaviour data, for the purpose of OBA. Many of the advertisements on the websites that you re visiting will have a symbol or icon within it (see the example below). By clicking on this icon you can find out more about how this information is collected and used, as well as ways to manage or control it. For further information watch this video on how online behavioural advertising works. Blog posts We often get asked whether it s okay for a blogger to receive payment for a positive review. The answer is yes, but the blogger must make clear to readers that what they re seeing is advertising or a sponsored post. We usually suggest bloggers signpost their paid for posts as ad advertorial or sponsored content. A blogger can of course give their view on any topic and, if it s genuinely their opinion, then we have no remit or interest in regulating that space. If, however, they are paid to say something good or bad then it becomes an advertisement and they must disclose it. It s worth noting that sometimes companies have blogs, and if they re using it to promote their products and services then we d expect them to be upfront too.

5 5 ASA Hot Topic: Online ads Social media Just like in any other media we expect advertisers to make it easy for the average consumer to be able to judge whether or not they are seeing an ad in social media. On Twitter we ve suggested that advertisers use #spon or #ad to make it obvious. If a celebrity is paid to endorse a brand or a company s product, then they too have to make sure it s clear it s an ad. Below is an example of an ad we banned in 2012, because it wasn t obvious that the celebrity tweet was a paid for endorsement for Nike. Further information For further information about online ads see the Social Media and "Native" advertising Advice: Online articles written by our sister body the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP). CAP is responsible for writing and maintaining the UK Advertising Codes, as well as giving free advice and guidance to advertisers to help them get their ads right in the first place. Contact us enquiries@asa.org.uk Follow us on Twitter The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) works to maintain the highest standards in advertising by taking action to prevent ads from being misleading, harmful or offensive. Visit for more information about our activities, to view the advertising Codes or to access our database of adjudications.

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