ASA tells brand not to use misleading ‘manufactured by leading British manufacturer’ claim in its ads

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against the following: ‘Manufactured by a leading British manufacturer, Tootal’. Tootal was a brand that was not the manufacturer. It was not clear where the goods were actually manufactured, but Tootal did not make the goods in Britain. The ASA acknowledged that Tootal was a registered UK company , but because the advert referred specifically to a ‘British manufacturer’, people would assume from that that the goods were made in the UK. As that was not the case, the advert was likely to mislead and the ASA ordered that it would not be repeated.

The ad breached the CAP Code. The CAP Code is a code of practice governing the content of adverts and marketing communications, and it is administered by the ASA. Although the Code does not have legal force, it is best practice to comply with it, as failure to do so can result in bad publicity and ultimately an inability to obtain advertising space.