Eleven out of 13 advertisements recently investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland’s (ASAI) were found to have been in breach of its code.
The Urls: latest ASAI Complaints Bulletin found that various breaches on grounds relating to misleading advertising, health claims, substantiation, and comparisons.
The advertisements complained of related to Internet, press advertising, radio advertising, leaflet advertising, digital apps and television advertising from well-known companies such as Lidl, Meteor and Boyle Sports.
One complaint related to a leaflet entitled ‘Homeopathy in Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Post-Natal year’ which was handed out at a pregnancy and baby fair.
The leaflet listed several serious health conditions which it indicated could be “addressed effectively by Homeopathy”.
The complainant queried the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies and the substantiation available to back their effectiveness.
The advertisers, The Irish Society of Homeopaths, said that commonly used homeopathic remedies were fully licensed for over the counter sales by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA)(1) and were freely available in pharmacies and health stores across the country.
In response to a query from the ASAI on the status of the ISH, the Department of Health said that at the present time there was no statutory regulation of complementary therapists.
In upholding the complaint, the ASAI’s independent committee noted the serious medical conditions referenced within the advertising and the fact that the advertisers had not provided substantiation for the claim that such conditions could “be addressed effectively by Homeopathy”.
Commenting on the latest ASAI rulings, Orla Twomey, Chief Executive of the ASAI, stated: “This latest complaints bulletin comes on the back of the recent ASAI Annual Report which highlighted a 98% compliancy rate with all ASAI rulings.
“ This illustrates the effectiveness of self-regulation in Ireland and shows that advertisers in Ireland are completely on board with the ASAI in our bid to protect consumers and ensure the highest standards of advertising and marketing communications, which we are committed to promoting.”
