United Kingdom: Advertising, Marketing & Branding

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Entertainment law, media law and telecoms law thought leadership, articles, podcasts, videos and webinars from expert sources across the legal world. Explore insights covering topics such as advertising, marketing and branding, broadcasting, gaming, hotels and hospitality, publishing, and mobile and cable communications.
Article
ICO Executes Search Warrants To Combat Nuisance Marketing Linked To Car Finance Mis-selling Claims
The Information Commissioner's Office has executed search warrants across the UK targeting businesses suspected of sending 170 million unlawful marketing text messages related to car finance mis-selling claims. This enforcement action, part of a joint regulatory task force investigation, signals heightened scrutiny of direct marketing practices and raises critical compliance questions for businesses relying on electronic communications to generate leads.
United Kingdom Media & IT
FL
Freeths LLP
Article
Beyond Special Category Data: ICO Signals New Era Of Neurodata Regulation
The UK Information Commissioner's Office has published findings from a citizens' jury examining public attitudes toward neurotechnology and neurodata collection. Twenty UK residents deliberated on how to balance the benefits of brain-monitoring devices against privacy risks, revealing strong support for medical applications but significant opposition to workplace productivity monitoring and concerns about discrimination against neurodiverse individuals.
United Kingdom Privacy
FL
Freeths LLP
Article
Clear To Register, But Safe To Use?
When Bobbi Brown's Jones Road Beauty launched its "Wide Awake" concealer, a trademark search showed the name was clear. However, Molly Sims' YISE Beauty was already selling a "Wide Awake" eye cream, forcing a costly product rename. This case illustrates why comprehensive brand clearance must extend beyond trademark registers to include marketplace searches, social media monitoring, and competitor analysis—especially in crowded sectors where unregistered use can create significant commercial and legal
United Kingdom IP
MC
Marks & Clerk
Article
Marketing Using AI: New Tech, Same Old Stereotypes?
Recent ASA decisions highlight how AI-generated advertising content can perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes and offensive imagery, particularly through deepfake technology. As generative AI becomes increasingly prevalent in marketing campaigns, regulators are emphasizing that marketers remain fully responsible for ensuring their AI-generated content complies with advertising standards, regardless of the technology used to create it.
United Kingdom Technology
MR
Mills & Reeve
Article
Staying Onside: Ambush Marketing Risks Around The World Cup And Other Major Sporting Events
Major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup attract enormous commercial interest, but non-sponsors face significant legal risks when attempting to associate their brands with these tournaments. Understanding the boundaries between creative marketing and unlawful ambush marketing requires careful navigation of trade mark law, passing off, copyright protection, and consumer protection regulations that safeguard official sponsorship rights.
United Kingdom IP
FW
Fox Williams
Article
ASA Pulls The Covers Back On Nectar Sleep's "Save Up To 65%" Ad
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has ruled against Nectar Sleep's "Save up to 65%" promotional campaign, finding that the basis of the savings claim was unclear and materially misleading to consumers. The decision highlights critical issues with how retailers calculate and present competitor price comparisons, particularly when using narrow product selections and averaging methodologies that may not reflect genuine market conditions.
United Kingdom Consumer
LS
Lewis Silkin
Article
New Guide: AI Disclosures Around The World
A new GALA guide provides a practical, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction overview of AI disclosure requirements in advertising across key global markets. Following the EU AI Act's transparency obligations becoming directly applicable across all 27 Member States on 2 August 2026, jurisdictions worldwide are accelerating their legislative and regulatory responses to AI-generated content in commercial contexts.
United Kingdom Media & IT
GA
Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA)
Article
The New AI Labelling Rules For "Deployers" In The Advertising Supply Chain
Starting 2 August 2026, the EU AI Act will require businesses using AI to generate images, audio, video or certain text for professional purposes to label that content as AI-generated or manipulated. This obligation applies broadly to "deployers" of AI systems, including both advertisers and agencies, and extends beyond EU borders to capture UK and US businesses whose AI content reaches EU audiences. The rules focus particularly on "deepfakes" - content that falsely appears authentic - with significant fine
United Kingdom Media & IT
GA
Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA)
Article
The Bravest Rebrand May Be Admitting Your Old Brand Was Better
PageGroup's decision to rebrand back to Michael Page plc after years under a corporate umbrella identity raises fundamental questions about brand strategy and trade mark value. When customers organise brands differently than companies organise themselves, should businesses prioritise market recognition over corporate structure? This analysis examines what makes a rebrand strategically sound versus merely novel.
United Kingdom IP
MC
Marks & Clerk
Podcast
The Business Of Beauty: From Luxury To Longevity With Lindy Firstenberg (Podcast)
This week, Kate sits down with Lindy Firstenberg, Co-Lead of the Beauty, Health & Wellness Practice at AlixPartners. From helping launch Louis Vuitton Fragrance to advising founders, retailers, investors, and global brands, Lindy has spent her career at the forefront of the industry's biggest shifts. Now, she's stepping into entrepreneurship herself, co-founding a science-backed scar repair company built around breakthrough biotechnology.
United Kingdom Consumer
A
AlixPartners
Podcast
Women In Retail: Hear From Continue's Lydia Hartley In Womble Bond Dickinson's Latest 'Retail Review' Podcast
Lydia Hartley, co-founder of Continue, discusses the growing role of resale in retail and how brands can unlock new commercial opportunities through the circular economy. She shares insights on shifting consumer behaviours, securing investment, building teams, and navigating growth in the competitive retail technology landscape.
United Kingdom Media & IT
WB
Womble Bond Dickinson
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