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ASA Bans Huel Ads for Encouraging 'Irresponsible' Full-Food Replacement
The ASA has banned Instagram and YouTube ads for Huel after ruling that an athlete anecdote implied its shakes could responsibly replace all conventional food.
16 hours ago4 min read


France Scraps Its Planned Ban on Eyewear Advertising
Paris has dropped a draft decree that would have broadly banned advertising for reimbursable optical devices, shifting the sector to self-regulation with the ARPP.
2 days ago2 min read


France Weighs an Ad Ban on Glasses and Hearing Aids
A French proposal to ban advertising for glasses and hearing aids has split the optical and audiology sector, pitting big chains against those who say a ban would protect consumers.
Sep 222 min read


BT Casts Bees as Scammers in a New Broadband Security Ad
BT has made online security the centre of its new broadband campaign, casting scammers as invasive, bee-like predators — a pivot from speed and price to safety as the broadband battleground.
Sep 222 min read


France Runs a Domestic-Violence Prevention Campaign in Stations and 300 Relay Shops
France's government has launched a prevention campaign against intrafamily and sexual violence in stations and 300 Relay shops — a case study in treating media placement as part of the creative.
Sep 83 min read


Xavier Niel Emerges as Favourite to Buy '60 Millions de Consommateurs'
Billionaire Xavier Niel, via NJJ Médias, is the frontrunner to acquire consumer magazine 60 Millions de Consommateurs from the state institute INC, which is being wound up.
Sep 30 min read


ICO Fines a Call-Blocker £190k for 758,000 Nuisance Calls It Made Itself
The ICO has fined Cardiff firm Elderly Aids Ltd £190,000 for making 758,053 unsolicited marketing calls to TPS-registered people — while selling call-blocking devices.
Sep 30 min read


Sports Direct Brands the ASA 'Out of Touch' After a Banned Puma Discount
The ASA banned a Sports Direct 'up to 50% off' Puma ad over an inflated £45 RRP — and Frasers Group is publicly branding the watchdog 'fundamentally flawed'.
Sep 30 min read


German Ad Watchdog's Complaints Nearly Triple, With Sexism Still No. 1
The Deutscher Werberat's half-year report logged 836 complaints — nearly triple a year earlier — with gender discrimination still the leading issue.
Aug 313 min read


FTC Finalises Crackdown on Fake 'Active Listening' Ad Tech
The FTC has finalised orders against Cox Media Group and two partners over a deceptively marketed 'Active Listening' AI ad product, totalling about $930,000.
Aug 313 min read


France Fines Boohoo €2.33m for Fake Discounts
France’s DGCCRF has fined fast-fashion site Boohoo €2.33m for fake ‘reference price’ discounts — with 95% of checked promotions found non-compliant.
Aug 213 min read


Doxo to Pay $2.1m to Settle FTC Claims Over Deceptive Search Ads
Bill-pay firm Doxo will pay $2.1m to settle FTC allegations it ran misleading search ads impersonating billers and charged hidden fees — a warning on paid search tactics.
Aug 213 min read


FTC Takes Aim at ‘Personalized Pricing’ — a Warning for Data-Driven Marketers
The FTC has proposed an enforcement policy on personalized pricing, signalling that using consumer data to set individual prices could be unfair or deceptive — a shot across martech’s bow.
Aug 213 min read


CMA Opens 'Drip Pricing' Probe into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School
The Competition and Markets Authority has opened formal 'drip pricing' investigations into three household names — its first big enforcement push under the DMCC Act, and a warning to every UK advertiser using 'from' pricing.
Aug 213 min read


FTC sues Hims & Hers over sharing health data with ad platforms
The FTC, with California and Utah, has sued Hims & Hers for allegedly sharing sensitive health data with ad platforms including Meta and Snap — a stark warning on first-party data in ad targeting.
Aug 43 min read


Plain vape packaging: the UK moves to strip out branding, colour and flavour names
A government consultation under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2024 proposes plain white vape packaging, devices in white, black or grey only, and 'simple recognisable' flavour names — directly constraining the sector's core branding levers.
Jul 303 min read


FCA launches £2m car finance ad campaign: ‘You don’t need to pay to claim’
The FCA has launched a £2m nationwide campaign telling drivers they can complain about mis-sold car finance for free — a behavioural-marketing masterclass UK brands can learn from.
Jul 293 min read


ASA bans broadband ad that warned of a YouFibre 'price rise rip-off'
The ASA has banned a Grain Connect email that claimed Virgin Media's takeover of YouFibre would trigger in-contract price rises, ruling the competitor comparison misleading and unsubstantiated.
Jul 222 min read


DMCC Act ushers in tougher rules on fake reviews and hidden fees
New consumer-protection powers under the DMCC Act are reshaping how UK brands can market online — with the CMA able to fine up to 10% of global turnover.
Jul 202 min read
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