Canadian Code of Advertising Standards

When a company puts out an advertisement, they must follow a code. The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards is a "guideline" for these companies. Accuracy and Clarity, bait and switch, and guarantees are three examples of the clauses include in the code. If this code is broken, the advertisement could be pulled from media and the company could suffer terribly.

Accuracy and clarity means that the advertisement should not contain any inaccurate or misleading information. This is including images, statements and depictions that are false. All ads should be clear to understand and the information should be correct. All viewers must know the truth about the product being advertised. A  example of this would be:


This would be an example because it simply tells you that there is not penguins at the Vancouver Aquarium. This does not state anything false.

Bait and switch is another clause included in the code. It means that the advertisement must not mislead the consumer's chance to purchase the product. If the supply of the product is limited then the advertisement must state this very clearly to the consumers. An example of this code statement would be:

This image would be present on advertisements that are selling a special product and they only have a limited quantity of the item.

Finally, guarantees is another clause that is present in the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. This means that no advertisement can offer a guarantee unless it is fully explain and the guarantor's name is provided. The advertisement must also state where this type of information can be obtained and looked at. An excellent example of this code clause would be:

This advertisement shows the name or the guarantor, along with the information on how you can get your money back if you are not satisfied with the product.

In closing, the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards must be follow precisely because of the consumers viewing the advertisements. All companies want to please the consumers and the only way to do so is to follow the correct conduct. The code is a genius idea because if we did not have it around, what would our ads look like?