ASA Brings Out The Big Guns

The ASA is exercising its “last resort” power and is requesting that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) takes action against Magna Jewellery for continually placing misleading adverts.

The ASA’s director general, Christopher Graham, said: “When a company consistently fails to abide by the rules of self regulation the ASA will ask the OFT to take action to ensure that advertising remains legal, decent, honest and truthful.”

The ASA first ruled against Magna Jewellery, which sells the Magna Therapy Bracelet, in 1998, after the company was unable to substantiate claims that its product offered relief for medical conditions, including arthritis and migraine.

In February 2001, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) was forced to issue a warning to publishers that the company was still placing misleading adverts, by claiming the bracelet offered “complementary treatment for pain relief.”

The company has refused to assure the ASA that these ads will not appear again and is subsequently being referred to the OFT under the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations.

This is the fourth time the authority has referred an advertiser to the OFT since April 2000. The other cases were Clockwork Orange, Mango-Pulse and Planet Telecom.

ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk

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