Poster and other out of home

It goes without saying ads on posters and billboards and in other outdoor public spaces, should not mislead, harm or offend. But the targeting and placement of these kinds of ads are also particularly important.

The way in which ads are targeted can have a significant bearing on their acceptability under the ad rules. Targeting is especially important when considering matters of taste and decency because the likelihood of an ad causing offence is inextricably linked to the attitudes of the people who see it.

For example fashion ads featuring semi-nude models may be acceptable in women’s glossy magazines but they wouldn’t be appropriate on posters or billboards in public spaces where they could be viewed by children.

Advertisers should also be mindful that the unsuitable targeting of ads for certain products automatically breaks the ad rules. For example, no medium with more than 25% of its audience under 18 years of age should be used to advertise an alcoholic drink.

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Latest rulings

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc t/a Take Two Interactive
- Not Upheld
- Transport
- 01 July 2026
An ad for the video game Borderlands 4 seen on a bus, didn’t omit material information.
Microsoft Ltd t/a Microsoft
- Upheld
- Poster (digital static image)
- 24 June 2026
Two digital posters for the Xbox Game Pass failed to make clear that the games shown in the posters included in game purchases.
Beauty Pie Ltd t/a Beauty Pie Ltd
- Upheld
- Poster
- 10 June 2026
A poster for an LED face mask made misleading claims that it was clinically proven to reduce wrinkles in 4 weeks.
Brighton & Hove City Council
- Upheld
- Poster (digital static image)
- 03 June 2026
A digital poster misleadingly implied there was a direct causal link between the use of wood burners and open fires and an increase in particle pollution, without having suitable evidence to back this claim up.

View all rulings

Poster and other out of home

It goes without saying ads on posters and billboards and in other outdoor public spaces, should not mislead, harm or offend. But the targeting and placement of these kinds of ads are also particularly important.

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