FAQ
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Questions:
1) What does it cost to clear an ad? / Does Clearcast charge for clearing an ad?
2) Should I send my sponsorship idents to Clearcast for clearance?
3) If I am producing a bingo, gaming or betting ad, what should I look out for?
4) What are the rules on having an advert sponsored by a company?
5) My ad has been given a post 19.30 timing restriction – what does that mean?
6) Does Clearcast clear ads for broadcast overseas?
7) What does ex-kids mean?
8) What are the music reporting requirements for my ad?
9) Does Clearcast clear VoD ads?
10) Who regulates the cinema adverts?
11) What are some of the copy issues I need to keep in mind when making my teleshopping ad?
12) How long does it take a consultant take to get back with comments?
13) Does Clearcast deal with complaints about TV ads?
14) Does Clearcast have counterparts in other countries?
15) Does Clearcast clear radio ads?
16) Does Clearcast clear ads for broadcast in the Republic of Ireland?
17) How many commercials does Clearcast approve?
18) How long does clearance take?
19) Does Clearcast approve ads for other broadcasters?
Answers:
1) What does it cost to clear an ad? / Does Clearcast charge for clearing an ad?
Clearcast does not charge for clearing short-form ads that are of less than 5 minutes in duration and that will be aired on the channels that we clear for. If your ad is over 5 minutes in length and is being submitted for the first time, it will be subjected to a charge. More details can be found here.
We also provide a "Pitch Perfect" service for scripts that are submitted as part of a pitching process and details can be found here.
We may also clear on an ad hoc basis for broadcasters who do not subscribe to our services and these clearances are charged per submission.
2) Should I send my sponsorship idents to Clearcast for clearance?
Clearcast does not clear sponsorship idents; instead you would need to have them cleared by the broadcaster on whose channel they will appear.
3) If I am producing a bingo, gaming or betting ad, what should I look out for?
First, you would need to look at the BCAP Code, section 17 on Gambling. Clearcast assigns a ‘GG’ code to gambling advertisements which tells the broadcaster ‘This is an advertisement for Betting, Gaming or Bingo. Not to be transmitted in, or adjacent to, religious programmes, children’s programmes or programmes commissioned for, principally directed at or likely to appeal particularly to audiences below the age of 18’.
A presentation code will also be added to finished ads, as follows:
54 – GAMING – a voluntary agreement exists not to schedule gaming ads before 21.00. Legal advice should be sought on gaming ads proposed to be broadcast in Northern Ireland.
55 – BETTING – a voluntary agreement exists not to schedule gambling ads before 21.00. This agreement does not apply to sports betting around televised sporting events.
56 – WEBSITE – This is a Bingo or Betting ad containing a reference to a website with links to gaming on its home page.
We’d always ask to see terms and conditions of your website/product and offer. We’d ask that, if you have to ‘play out’ bonuses before withdrawing them you describe them as bonusplay or freeplay.
Gambling is a vast and tricky area of advertising and we have advice that is specific to gambling limits, bonuses by prize draw, free bets that are awarded in increments, music, sliding scale jackpots, etc etc. This advice is rather too long and complicated to state in this short note, and varies according to the terms and conditions of your product, so we’d ask that you supply a pre-production script for your gambling product/site together with the terms and conditions of it, then your Clearcast contact will advise you on any necessary changes and clarifications to your script. As with other sectors of advertising, we use ASA precedent on upheld/not upheld complaints to guide us when advising you. You can find past ASA adjudications here (link to ASA adjudications?)
Lotteries
For a lottery ad, you would need to refer to Section 18 of the BCAP Code. Scratchcards are also subject to the gambling rules but if they are non National Lottery scratchcards, they receive a GG timing restriction. National Lottery ads receive an ex kids (PK) restriction ‘ please note that we will be advising the programme companies that this advertisement should not be transmitted in the breaks immediately before during or immediately after children’s programmes’ (this is because 32.4.1 of the BCAP Scheduling Code notes that lotteries ‘may not be advertised in or adjacent to programmes commissioned for, principally directed at or likely to appeal particularly to audiences below the age of 16’).
4) What are the rules on having an advert sponsored by a company?
Any advertising message that’s sponsored by a company is generally recognised as a ‘sponsorship ident’ and is usually transmitted at the start and end of ad breaks within a TV show. Clearcast aren’t responsible for clearing this type of advertising, the broadcaster on which the advertising will be shown is responsible for its approval. However if there’s a clear advertising message it must comply with the relevant section of the BCAP code. Any issues are investigated by Ofcom and they will most likely check for compliance with the BCAP and Ofcom broadcasting codes. If an advertiser believes their advertising doesn’t fall within this definition they should either contact their Clearcast representative or Ofcom for further guidance.
5) My ad has been given a post 19.30 timing restriction – what does that mean?
Timing restrictions are a way of attempting to ensure that adverts are only shown at a time that is appropriate to their content. In general terms, some ads may only be shown outside of programmes mainly watched by children, while some may only be shown after the so called nine o’clock watershed, or even later. Post 19.30 is a half way house that would be applied to adverts containing moderate references to sex or violence or behaviour that would be harmful rather than life threatening if emulated.
Examples of content that would be likely to attract a post 19.30 timing are:
a/ Strong but brief interpersonal contact. Scenes of threat and horror in the home. Morphing and/or scary faces. Moderate or strong, but brief, aggressive behaviour. Visuals of injuries, which aren't too graphic but may be bloody.
b/ Moderate innuendo. Moderate non-graphic sexual activity, this might be nudity in a sexual context.
For a more comprehensive list and explanation of our timing restrictions, go here.
6) Does Clearcast clear ads for broadcast overseas?
Clearcast is owned and funded by the major UK broadcasters and as such we can only clear ads that will be aired by those broadcasters. For a list of channels that we clear for click here.We do clear ads that are aired overseas but only when they are broadcast from the UK, for example, Sky and E4 which broadcast from the UK into the Republic of Ireland.
If you intend an advert to be broadcast in another European country then check here for the appropriate European body.
7) What does ex-kids mean?
Ex-kids (or PK in Clearcast speak) is a restriction applied to ads depending on its content or automatically in other circumstances. One thing to bear in mind is that it’s NOT a timing restriction but a scheduling restriction which will keep the ad away from breaks immediately before, during and immediately after children’s programmes. Children’s programmes for scheduling purposes also includes those programmes which have a high index of children viewers. It is worth contacting your media buyer about which programmes are included in the restriction as they do change.
An ex-kids restriction will be applied to an ad that contains, but is not limited to, mild and/or accidental interpersonal violence, where there is a risk of emulation but from which no serious harm would result, where very young viewers may be scared by the contents of the ad or where there is mild sexual activity or innuendo.
There are also certain circumstances where an ex-kids is applied automatically regardless of content (though, if the content requires a higher restriction then that will apply). An ex-kids will be applied when the advertised product is a licensed medical product, where it features a film or video game that has been BBFC or PEGI rated 15 or above. An ex-kids is also automatically assigned for adverts for sanitary protection, condoms and where we see matches or candles being lit (again the content may require a higher restriction).
If you're in any doubt you should contact your Clearcast executive.
8) What are the music reporting requirements for my ad?
Before ads can be approved by Clearcast, agencies are asked to provide details of the music used in it. PRS for Music explains in an article written for our summer 2009 newsletter what it does with the data and why it is important that agencies provide Clearcast with accurate information.
9) Does Clearcast clear VoD ads?
In 2009 we launched a new compliance service for VoD advertising to help our clients comply with the European Audio Visual Media Services Directive. VoD ads are cleared against the CAP (non-broadcast) code.
10) Who regulates the cinema adverts?
Clearcast does not clear adverts to be shown in cinemas. This is the responsibility of the Cinema Advertising Association.
11) What are some of the copy issues I need to keep in mind when making my teleshopping ad?
Long form/teleshopping advertisements must identify their commercial nature in optical and acoustic means immediately at the beginning and immediately at the end e.g. "The following is (proceeding "was") a commercial presentation brought to you on behalf of X"
Advertisements must not refer to themselves in a way that might lead viewers to believe they are watching a programme. The word "show" however, is considered acceptable e.g. "Welcome to the show!"
The script must specify the purchase price and the cost of p&p in either sound or vision. If the script does not specify purchase price and the cost of p&p, then it cannot be said to include a direct offer for sale and does not qualify as teleshopping material.
More details will follow in our new Teleshopping section on our website, coming soon!
12) How long does it take a consultant take to get back with comments?
The aim is that our consultants will respond to an initial request for advice within a week. However, this is very much dependent on the complexity of the issue being advised on and the adequacy of the supporting evidence supplied. In order to make the process easier our consultants have developed the Claim Support Model which helps the advertiser to identify the claims with a script and attach the appropriate evidence. The Claim Support Model can be found in Clearcast Forms
13) Does Clearcast deal with complaints about TV ads?
Clearcast is not responsible for considering complaints about TV ads. Viewer complaints are dealt with by the Advertising Standards Authority. For further information contact the ASA at www.asa.org.uk.
14) Does Clearcast have counterparts in other countries?
Clearcast, together with the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), offers an online copy advice / pre-clearance facility. It allows users to submit their copy for advice in the selected country/ies by the self-regulatory organisation for advertising in the country. For more on how it works and e.g. where pre-clearance is required, go to www.ad-advice.org
15) Does Clearcast clear radio ads?
Radio ads are cleared by the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC). For further information contact the RACC at www.racc.co.uk.
16) Does Clearcast clear ads for broadcast in the Republic of Ireland?
Clearcast clears ads for broadcast on channels that broadcast from the UK into the Republic of Ireland e.g. BSkyB and Channel Four. For further information about clearance for ads broadcast from the Republic of Ireland contact RTE http://www.rte.ie/ or copyclearance@rte.ie.
17) How many commercials does Clearcast approve?
In 2010 Clearcast considered 33,000 scripts (13% more than 2009) and 60,000 clock commercials (12% more than 2009).
18) How long does clearance take?
The time taken for script depends on its complexity. Straight forward scripts may take only a few days to approve whereas those that require in-depth analysis and, possibly, a consultant's view on technical evidence take longer. Clearcast aims to either feedback on or approve rough or clocked commercials within two days of ingestion.
19) Does Clearcast approve ads for other broadcasters?
Clearcast offers its services to other broadcasters who wish to use them. There is a cost for this service. For further info contact the Head of Policy and Customer Operations:
kristoffer.hammer@clearcast.co.uk