Offensive

Although they only account for a small part of the ASA’s work, complaints about taste and decency are often the most high profile.

Upheld decisions can result in widespread adverse publicity for the company concerned and marketers can be required to have posters pre-vetted by CAP’s Copy Advice team for two years if they publish an offensive poster.

The rules state ads must not contain anything that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence, and specifies that special care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability and age.

When making a decision on whether an ad is likely to cause widespread offence, we take into account: the audience who are likely to see the ad; the context in which the ad appears; the product it’s promoting; and prevailing standards in society. To help judge those standards, from time-to-time, we commission major consumer research to find out what concerns people and where they think the line should be drawn.

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Latest rulings

Warner Bros Entertainment UK Ltd
- Not upheld
- Poster, Television
- 05 August 2026
A TV ad and two posters for the film They Will Kill You weren’t irresponsible or offensive and didn’t glamourise violence and knife crime. The ads were suitable for display in an untargeted medium, had suitable scheduling restrictions and hasn’t been inappropriately placed during a UEFA Champions Leag...
Warner Bros Entertainment UK Ltd
- Upheld in part
- Poster, Television
- 05 August 2026
Posters for the film Lee Cronin’s The Mummy were likely to cause fear or distress to young children and were unsuitable for outdoor display. Two other ads were investigated but they didn’t break our rules.
BoyleSports (Gibraltar) Ltd t/a BoyleSports
- Upheld
- 29 July 2026
A paid-for online display ad for a gambling company encouraged gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible and could lead to financial harm by encouraging frequent and repetitive participation.
Bubbleology UK-I Ltd t/a Bubbleology
- Not upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 22 July 2026
A paid-for Instagram ad for a bubble tea company didn’t break the less healthy food rules because it was a small and medium-sized enterprise and was therefore exempt.

View all rulings

Offensive

Although they only account for a small part of the ASA’s work, complaints about taste and decency are often the most high profile.

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