The latest Lewis Silkin Ads & Brands Digest has all the highlights of recent months, including the launch of the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) “market study” of this sector. This widespread study will cover the market power of the giant tech platforms, lack of consumer control over their data, and the potential distortion of the opaque digital advertising market. The expected outcomes are regulatory and legislative reform, rather than direct intervention, though they will also assist the ICO in their own separate investigation.

Our August 2019 digest considers the ASA's use of the latest weapon in its arsenal: avatars.  No, they're not deploying James Cameron's tall, blue, bow and arrow wielding creatures to scan the horizon for wrongly targeted HFSS and gambling ads (but if that helps you picture this, you're welcome!)

We also look at some specific ASA rulings, including a reversal of fortune for the ASA in a Sky Bet ad (decision successfully reversed), just how many followers you need to be a 'celebrity' nowadays, and why you shouldn't promote prescription drugs on Instagram...

We also consider the impact of the long heralded apocalypse, sorry... I mean Brexit, on .eu domain names.  There might be some good news for EU citizens resident in the UK.

And we look briefly at the imposition of a hefty fine imposed by the ICO on a company which sent text marketing to customers who had opted out.

Enjoy.