United Kingdom: Advertising, Marketing & Branding

The Advertising Standards Authority has issued new guidance addressing the emerging challenges of AI-generated content and deepfake technology in advertising.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has published new guidance on the use of AI-generated content and deepfakes in advertising, reinforcing that existing rules apply in full, regardless of how ads are created.

The U.K. ICO has recommended significant changes to online advertising consent requirements that could reduce cookie banners and create new opportunities for publishers and adtech intermediaries. These proposed amendments to PECR would introduce exceptions for certain lower-risk advertising activities, though questions remain about alignment with EU regulations and the practical impact on the digital advertising ecosystem.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has launched formal investigations into eight companies over potentially misleading pricing practices, including hidden fees, fake countdown timers, and pre-selected extras. With new powers to impose fines up to 10% of global turnover without court proceedings, the CMA is signaling a major shift in how online pricing compliance will be enforced across all industries.

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled against Brighton & Hove City Council's public health campaign linking wood burners to particulate pollution near schools, despite the Council presenting extensive scientific...

The ASA upheld the two complaints, one of which came from a chimney sweep, finding that the Council had failed to substantiate the direct causal link between the use of wood burners and open fires...

The ASA ruled that Pets Corner's Pet Food Expert website misled consumers by claiming to be "100% unbiased" while failing to adequately disclose its ownership by a pet food retailer with commercial interests in the products it compared.

Businesses intending to sell goods to consumers in the UK will need to ensure they are doing so in a way that is compliant with UK consumer laws.

On 9 March 2026, the UK government published the Fraud Strategy 2026–2029: Disrupting crime, supporting economic resilience and delivering justice (the Strategy), replacing the 2023–2025 framework.