Step 1

Welcome to our online complaints form.

Please check what types of ads we regulate before submitting your complaint online.

This form will ask you for information about the ad you’re complaining about, such as the name of the company or organisation; the product or service being advertised and where you saw it. If you have a copy of the ad, please have it ready to attach to the form.

Providing us with as much information as possible will help us handle your complaint quicker.

If you wish to complain in writing, our postal address and fax number are available on the Contact us section.

Online behavioural advertising

The ASA now regulates Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA). OBA is the practice of collecting information from web browsers so that it can be used to present online advertisements that are more relevant to the user of a particular computer. The rules we oversee require businesses to make clear when they are collecting and using information for OBA and require them to provide a tool so that you can choose not to receive it. If you’re considering making a complaint about receiving OBA advertising, we recommend you read the advice here as it will help you decide whether making a complaint to us is the right option for you at this stage.

Making a complaint about Irn-Bru
The ASA has received a significant number of complaints about a TV ad for Irn-Bru that features a woman wearing a low-cut top, revealing her cleavage; her son’s two friends are seen staring at her breasts before she clasps her son’s head to her chest. Members of the public have objected that the ad is offensive and demeaning to women.

We have now launched a formal investigation into this ad. If you submit a complaint, we won’t respond directly. Complaints that are lodged, however, will provide us with an opportunity to continue to monitor public response to this ad. Our findings will be published in due course and you will be able to read the decision in full on our adjudications page.