Concerns over lack of sanction for Eircode ad

A group reportedly representing some 400 firefighters has queried why the advertising watchdog upheld its complaint about an ad for Eircode, only to declare later that it did not have the power to ban the broadcast.

Yesterday, the Irish Examiner revealed that the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) had written a draft ruling in which it suggested ads promoting Eircode should not be broadcast, and found the adverts breached four aspects under the ‘misleading’ section of its code.

However, despite circulating its draft ruling among some of the complainants, the ASAI advised that, as the advert was classified as a ‘public service broadcast’, it fell outside the ASAI remit.