The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (“ASAI”) is Ireland’s advertising regulator and responsible for applying the Manual of Advertising Self-Regulation with the Code of Standards for Advertising, Promotional and Direct Marketing in Ireland. These apply to all Irish firms.
The ASAI considers all complaints about non-technical aspects of advertisements in non-broadcast media. For example, offence, social responsibility, fear and distress and competitor denigration. The ASAI also assesses complaints about broadcast advertisements. The ASAI investigates general advertising complaints and can:
- Require changes to advertising or ban advertising
- Publish findings and decisions on the ASAI website
- Refer a complaint to National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), who have a broader range of enforcement powers available to them. NSAI can, for example, take legal action resulting in possible (unlimited) fines and/or imprisonment
ASAI General Rules
Relevant principles
- Marketing communications in the media and sales promotions should be legal, decent, honest and truthful and should not mislead the consumer.
- Primary responsibility for observing the Code rests with advertisers, promoters and direct marketers.
- Marketing communications should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.
Consumer Credit Act 1995 advertising requirements
- The APR. The display of any other rate of interest is not allowed. The APR must be as prominent as any other figure shown (i.e. 0% APR).
- The period over which payments are required.
- The total cost of credit.
- Details of the deposit required (or confirmation that none is required).
- Whether the required payments are payable monthly, bi-monthly etc.
- The total number of payments required.
- Details of any other payments required (i.e. Arrangement fee/documents fee)
- An indication of any restriction that applies to the availability of credit.