UK Clearcast dossier preparation
About Clearcast Ad Clearance
In the UK, ads appearing on TV and radio are regulated by the ASA and must adhere to the broadcast advertising rules – also known as the BCAP Code (the ‘Broadcast Code’). This Code applies to all advertisements including teleshopping,content on self-promotional television channels, television text and interactive television advertisements, on radio and television services licensed by Ofcom.
The Code is designed to inform advertisers and broadcasters of the standards expected in the content and scheduling of broadcast advertisements and to protect consumers. Ads on TV and radio must be targeted appropriately, and must not mislead, harm or offend. Pre-approval of scripted advertisements from Clearcast should be obtained in advance for TV advertisements. Most UK TV channels and VOD platforms will require Clearcast clearance before accepting an Ad to go on air.
Gaining clearance for advertising requires a submission of information about your Ad, including:
● Script
● Claims
● Claim substantiation
Both the content of the Ad and how the information is presented to Clearcast can greatly affect the chance of successful clearance.
How we can help
Building a clearcast dossier is a very critical task which requires strong expertise. Only robust and well presented dossiers will result in an approval.
Bloom Regulatory can help in two ways:
1. Compile a dossier for Clearcast submission
2. Advise on feedback from Clearcast following an unsuccessful submission/compile a follow up submission
During a dossier build or when preparing feedback for Clearcast, the Bloom team will meet with you to understand the content and flow of your Ad, using the script where available. We will also ask about your key messaging and the priority claims within your Ad.
If we are not familiar with your product, we may also ask you more about the product and how it fits within your range. We will then identify the claims within your Ad and any risks in terms of borderline claims, commonly contended claims and absolute claims, where data requirements may be extensive.
We will also examine the types of data you have available and review the robustness of the data against the intended claims and the visual context of the Ad.
Turnaround times
We understand that you may be working to a specific deadline/campaign launch date and so we will prioritise your dossier build within the Bloom team and collaborate with you in order to meet your desired goals.