A report by the Advertising Standards Authority – the UK advertising regulator – has found that companies are sticking to digital marketing rules. However, 70 per cent of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority about online ad practices are not covered by the current regulatory regime.

The ASA’s compliance report, the first into internet advertising, found that out of a survey of 551 digital ads, 97 per cent complied with the non-broadcast advertising code. Just 16 appeared to breach the self-regulation rules set down by the ASA – with 10 of these breaches in the health and beauty sector.

The ASA said it was concerned by the “relatively low” compliance rate of the digital ads surveyed in this sector – 72 per cent – adding that it would be “scrutinising” the health and beauty sector closely from now on. Email marketing and sponsored search accounted for the majority of the breaches found by the ASA.

Overall, the survey found that no viral, podcast or mobile marketing ad campaign broke the compliance rules.

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