What you can say when marketing organic 2020 - Flipbook - Page 5
Note: Marketers should not try to present objective
claims as subjective opinions or testimonials
in order to make a claim without having the
supporting evidence. Examples of this include
putting quotation marks round an objective claim,
or prefixing a claim with “users thought”, or similar.
Even if a claim is presented as an opinion, if it is an
objective claim it must be supported by evidence
which substantiates the claim.
Substantiation
Marketers must hold documentary evidence
for claims that consumers are likely to regard
as objective. Without adequate substantiation,
claims are likely to be misleading. The level of
substantiation depends on the claim – the stronger
the claim, the more robust the evidence needed.
E.g. “70% of shoppers prefer the taste of organic
potatoes” could be substantiated by a market study.
“Organic cotton production uses 50% less water”
would need robust supporting evidence.
If investigating a claim, the ASA will require
the evidence to be submitted, and will call on
independent experts when necessary.
YOU CAN’T SAY EVERYTHING THAT IS TRUE!
The rules governing what you can say to sell a
product, as administered by the ASA, do not simply
rely on a statement being true. For example, while
you may make comparisons, you are not allowed to
say something that the ASA might feel ‘denigrates’
other products.
FOOD & ENVIRONMENT RULES
If an ad promotes a particular food product, rather
than a farming technique or philosophy, the strict
food rules in Section 15 apply.
If an ad makes claims about environmental impact,
the Section 11 requirements to hold strong evidence
and clearly state the basis of the claims, will apply.
For full details on the scope and rules of the code
visit: www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/
advertising-codes/non-broadcast-code.html
How to use the statements in
this document
1. Once you have decided to use a statement, you
must still check your specific advertisement
with Copy Advice. The context in which the
statement is used, and any associated imagery,
can alter the meaning of the words, so give as
much detail as possible to help Copy Advice
make an informed response.
2. You need to hold any evidence that might be
required to substantiate the statements you
make, when you make them. The digital
version of this document is fully referenced
and can be found on our website
(www.soilassociation.org/whatyoucansay).
Many of the claims listed are based on general
evidence for organic farming systems. This
evidence is unlikely to be representative of
a specific product so should be used in a
context that does not suggest otherwise (unless
additional evidence is found). See page 11 for
further details.
3. In order to assist the ASA in assessing a claim,
highlight the appropriate information and
explain the relevance, if necessary. Given this
could be buried within a detailed report, this can
save the ASA advisors from having to read pages
of irrelevant information in order to verify the
claim. Helping them helps you!
Copy Advice can be reached via their website at
www.asa.org.uk/advice-and-resources/bespokecopy-advice.html and proposed statements can
be submitted via the website for free advice. Copy
Advice always undertake to respond within 24
hours. However, remember that Copy Advice will
always qualify their opinion by stressing that it
does not bind the ASA itself.
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