Ad watchdog may look at dead rat ad once again

Almost inevitably, the UK television screening of the now-infamous 'dead rat' ad warning of the dangers associated with buying medicines on the Internet was followed by a slew of complaints from the public.

The Advertising Standards Authority has already cleared the ad after an investigation launched earlier this year when it was shown in cinemas alongside 15-rated films, concluding that the images in the film were justified in light of the serious public health risk posed by counterfeit medicines.

The television screening of the ad last week led to a further 48 complaints which may prompt a second investigation, said the ASA, which noted that the earlier ruling would have no bearing on the current investigation.

Meanwhile, the ASA's scope is to be expanded to include online marketing communications, as well as banner and paid-for search ads that currently come under its remit, with the help of funding from Google.

To date the ASA's work has been exclusively funded by advertisers and limited the scope of its online monitoring, according to the agency. Now, the new cash injection means that from the end of 2010 it will also have the resources to look at marketing claims on websites.