Tag: CMA

Harmful online design encourages consumers to hand over personal information

Stuart Mitchell

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are calling for businesses to stop using harmful website designs that can trick consumers into giving up more of their personal data than they would like. Practices include overly complicated privacy controls, default settings that give less control over personal information and bundling privacy choices together in ways that push consumers to share more data than they would otherwise wish to do. Where consumers lack effective control over how their data is collected and used, this can harm consumers…

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CMA to scrutinise ‘green’ claims in sales of household essentials

Stuart Mitchell

The CMA will examine the accuracy of ‘green’ claims made about household essentials – such as food, drink, and toiletries – to make sure shoppers are not being misled. The move is an expansion of ongoing work by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into ‘greenwashing’, which seeks to get to the bottom of whether products and services that claim to be green or eco-friendly are being marketed to shoppers accurately. The CMA’s review will examine a wide range of products known as ‘fast-moving consumer goods’ (FMCG). These are essential…

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ASOS, Boohoo and Asda investigated over fashion ‘green’ claims

Stuart Mitchell

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will be scrutinising eco-friendly and sustainability claims made by ASOS, Boohoo and George at Asda about their fashion products, including clothing, footwear, and accessories. The move comes as part of its ongoing investigation into potential greenwashing and follows concerns around the way the firms’ products are being marketed to customers as eco-friendly. In January this year, the CMA turned its eye to the fashion sector, where an estimated £54 billion is spent by consumers annually, and its initial review identified concerns around potentially misleading…

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‘Green’ claims: CMA sets out the dos and don’ts for businesses

Stuart Mitchell

Last year, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it was investigating the impact of green marketing on consumers, in line with its annual plan commitment. As part of this, the CMA recently led on an analysis of websites – alongside other global authorities – which found that 40% of green claims made online could be misleading. The CMA is now seeking views on draft guidance for businesses about ‘green’ claims. This is based on a careful review of how these claims are being made and how people respond…

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#FuturePRoof guide tackles influencer marketing governance for public relations

Stuart Mitchell

#FuturePRoof has published a guide that addresses the need for influencer marketing governance in public relations. It provides clear guidance for practitioners and influencers themselves. The #FuturePRoof guide aims to give public relations a voice around the critical area of governance for influencer marketing. It’s a challenging area of practice that sits between marketing and public relations, and earned and paid media. Follow this link to access the guide: https://www.futureproofingcomms.co.uk/we-are-all-influencers-now There were more than 16,000 complaints made about 14,000 online ads and social media posts last year according to the…

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