Appendix 1

RULES ABOUT SPECIFIC CLASSES OF ADVERTISEMENTS AND METHODS OF ADVERTISING

1. Unacceptable Products or Services. Advertisements for products or services coming within the recognised character of, or specifically concerned with, the following should not be accepted: (a) money-lenders; (b) matrimonial agencies and correspondence clubs; (c) fortune tellers and the like; (d) undertakers or others associated with death or burial; (e) organisations/companies/persons seeking to advertise for the purpose of giving betting tips; (f) unlicensed employment services, registers or bureaux; (g) products or treatments for bust development or, except as permitted by the British Code of Standards, for slimming, weight reduction or limitation, or figure control; (h) contraceptives; (i) smoking cures; (j) products for treatment of alcoholism; (k) contact or corneal lenses; (l) clinics for the treatment of the hair and scalp; (m) products for treatment of haemorrhoids (notwithstanding Rule 22 of Section I of Appendix 2).

N.B. — An advertiser who markets more than one product may not use advertising copy devoted to an acceptable product for purposes of publicising the brand name or other identification of an unacceptable product.

2. Advertising of Medicines and Treatments.
(a) The British Code of Standards
The advertising of medicines and treatments may be accepted on the Authority’s service provided it complies with the basic standard of “The British Code of Standards in relation to the Advertising of Medicines and Treatments” which is attached as Appendix 2.

(b) Visual presentation of doctors, dentists, pharmaceutical chemists, nurses, midwives, etc.
In advertisements for medicines, treatments and products which are claimed to promote health or to be beneficial in illness, the following are not allowable:

(i) visual presentations which give the impression of professional advice or recommendation, and

(ii) statements giving the impression of professional advice or recommendation made by persons who appear in the advertisements and who are presented, either directly or by implication, as being qualified to give such advice or recommendation.

3. Mail Order Advertisements. Advertisements for the sale of goods by mail order should not be accepted unless the contractor has satisfied himself that adequate stocks of the goods in question are carried and that they correspond with the description given in the advertisement. Such advertisements should not be accepted where an accommodation address is given.

All advertisements should make it clear that the customer is entitled to return the goods within seven days if not satisfied and to obtain full refund of the purchase price.

4. Homework Scheme Advertisements. The fullest possible particulars of any schemes must be supplied and where it is proposed to make a charge for the raw materials or the components and where the advertiser offers to buy back the goods made by the homeworker, the advertisement must not be accepted.

5. Financial Advertisements. In view of the importance of giving full information in connection with any offer to the public of debentures, bonds and shares and in view of the difficulty of ensuring that such information is given in the limited time of the normal television advertisement, invitations to invest should be limited to the following:

(a) invitations to invest in British Government stocks (including National Savings certificates), stocks of public boards and nationalised industries in the United Kingdom and Municipal Government stocks in the United Kingdom;

(b) invitations to place money on deposit or share account with building societies;

(c) invitations to place money on deposit with the Post Office or any Trustee Savings Bank.

Advertisements by Unit Trusts authorised as such by the Board of Trade may be accepted provided that these are strictly limited to the name and description of the Trust, the address of its manager, and an invitation to viewers to write to the manager for full particulars of the units available. No person may be shown on the screen during the course of the advertisement.

Advertisements announcing the publication in established national and provincial newspapers and journals of prospectuses offering shares or debentures to the public may be accepted provided that these are strictly limited to giving the name of the company whose shares or debentures are being offered, the amount of the offer and the names and dates of publication of the newspapers and journals in which a prospectus may be found. No person may be shown on the screen during the course of the advertisement.

No advertisement should be allowed which contains any review of or advice about the stock market or investment prospectus, or which offers to advise on investments.

6. Hire Purchase. Advertisements relating to the sale of goods on hire-purchase or credit sale must comply with the provisions of the Advertisements (Hire-Purchase) Act, 1957.

7. Instructional Courses. Advertising offering courses of instruction in trades or subjects leading up to professional or technical examinations should not imply the promise of employment or exaggerate the opportunities of employment or remuneration alleged to be open to those taking such courses; neither should it offer unrecognised “degrees” or qualifications.

8. Betting (including Pools) Advertisements. Betting (including pools) advertisements are not allowed.