The Stage

Casting agents face crackdown over online claims

Published Tuesday 23 March 2010 at 17:30 by Matthew Hemley

Casting agencies using the internet to make bogus claims about the services they offer are facing a clampdown under plans to extend the advertising code to companies’ own websites.

Currently, the Advertising Standards Authority’s online remit only covers paid-for marketing communications, such as pop-up and banner advertisements.

However, new proposals being put forward by the Advertising Association have recommended that the advertising code should be extended to cover marketing communications on companies’ own websites.

This could see casting companies that make certain claims about their services - such as purporting to supply extras to particular soaps - having to prove this with documentary evidence should a complaint be made about them.

If unable to provide proof, they risk breaching the code and could be banned from using the promotional material again.

The ASA can refer repeat offenders to the Office of Fair Trading for legal action.

Chris Smith, chairman of the ASA, said: “We very much welcome the proposal to extend the ASA’s remit. This is a direct and sensible response to people’s concerns about the protections of consumers online.”

Proposals to extend the advertising code have now been put to the Committee of Advertising Practice, which writes the code that is enforced by the ASA. However, a spokesman for the ASA warned that the fine detail about what is likely to be included in code’s extension has yet to be decided.

He said CAP is currently looking at the recommendations to extend the code to cover marketing communications on companies’ own websites.

“It is the outcome of these discussions that will give the ASA clarification on what it can and cannot investigate and apply the code to,” he said.

An Equity spokesman said: “If this extension to the CAP code makes life harder for scam agencies making false claims on their websites to operate then Equity and, I am sure, all legitimate agencies, will be delighted.”