Standards of Presentation for Consumer Protection & Safety

Standard of Presentaion for Consumer Protection & Safety

Section 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

a. Advertisements must be honest, truthful and accurate and created for the benefit of the consumer and general public.

b. Advertisements should not be deceptive or mislead the public.

c. Advertising of a product or service found by the appropriate government agency to be below standards or specifications or to be otherwise unsafe shall not be allowed.

d. Advertising copy, slogan or terms should not tend to mislead, or confuse the consumer as to the materials, content, origin, utility or function of any product or service.

e. Corporate advertising must be fair, truthful and accurate; it should not contain any exaggerations or sweeping generalizations that may mislead the public regarding the advertiser or the attributes of its products or services. Where the advertisements contain specific claims regarding the company or its product or services, such claims must be verifiable and subject to substantiation in the same manner as regular product or service advertisements.

f. Advertisements should always be readily perceptible as commercial announcements and should not create any misimpression that they are news or editorial items or public service announcements. Applicable guidelines of the relevant media industry should also be observed.

g. Advertisements must not use expressions reserved for important news and public service announcements (eg ‘news flash’).

h. Advertisements should not unduly capitalize on fear or sow panic.

i. Advertisements should not exploit public credulity related to superstition, pseudo-scientific beliefs and practices, such as supernatural powers, foretelling of the future, astrology, phrenology, palm reading, numerology, mind reading, hypnotism, faith healing or subjects of like nature.

Section 2. CLAIMS OF PRODUCT/SERVICE PROPERTIES OR CHARACTERISTICS

a. Claims of product and service properties or their intended usage should be clearly presented and should not mislead the persons to whom they are addressed by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration or omission.

b. The use or incorporation of a test or demonstration of a product or service property or characteristics must clearly, fairly, factually and accurately present the test or demonstration confirming the claimed product or service property or characteristic. The test or demonstration presented in advertisements must directly prove the claimed product or service property or characteristics.

Section 3. MISLEADING PRESENTATIONS

a. An advertisement must not create confusion as to the identity of the advertiser or the source or identity of a product or service.

b. Advertising materials shall not contain features, elements or visual and/or audal presentations that are unique to the advertising of another brand regardless of category.

Section 4. HEALTH & SAFETY

a. Advertisements should not depict dangerous practices, show or refer to dangerous acts, or encourage disregard for safety. When a product or service has potentially dangerous qualities, the advertisement must be adequately qualified or balanced with a positive presentation or a clear warning within the advertisements.

b. Advertisements for any product or service should not depict the actual act of drinking alcoholic beverages or smoking tobacco products.