Who we are

Copy Advice is an essential service for advertisers, agencies, media owners and media service providers who want to check how their prospective non-broadcast ads or multi-media concepts measure up against the UK Advertising Codes.

Provided by the people who write the rules, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), with guidance from those who enforce them, this unique service is fast, free and confidential. 

CAP comprises representatives of advertisers, agencies, media owners and other industry groups, all of which are committed to upholding the highest standards in advertising. Copy Advice supports the industry’s commitment and boosts compliance by providing guidance to practitioners.

In 2010, our specialist team dealt with more than 8,000 enquiries, helping marketers and advertising practitioners to comply with the CAP Code. We are proud of the fact that 95% of our users say they’d come back to Copy Advice again to check their ads and 97% would recommend our service to others. 

Meet the team

Our team of highly trained advisers can offer an informed view of the likely acceptability of your non-broadcast marketing communications under the CAP Code. All our advisers have been trained to fully understand the CAP Code and how it is interpreted by the ASA. They keep abreast of complaints made to the ASA and the watchdog’s subsequent decisions, whether or not the ASA Council upheld the complaint. 

We have a team of experts to help you with your campaigns:

Nick Hudson
Copy Advice Manager

With an LLB in Business Law, Nick started his working life in advertising, working in several ad agencies in the account handling department for over 10 years. He joined the ASA in 2006 initially working in Compliance & Monitoring, helping to enforce ASA adjudications and monitoring for problematic ads.

 

Since being with the Copy Advice team he has developed specialisms in the advertising of Health and Beauty products, with a particular interest in advertising for Cosmetics and Skin Creams. His other areas of expertise include advertising claims for medical products and devices and weight management products. He became Copy Advice Manager in 2010. You can contact Nick directly on 020 7492 2109 or e-mail him at nickh@cap.org.uk.

Claire Serle
Copy Advice Manager

Having graduated with a First in Economics, Claire joined the ASA in 1993. She managed a Complaints team and an Investigations team before becoming the Copy Advice Manager in 2002. Having worked for both the ASA and CAP, she has extensive experience of assessing ads from both a consumer and practitioner’s perspective.

Claire has been the Assistant Secretary to the General Media Panel for about fifteen years. You can contact Claire directly on 020 7492 2101 or email her at claires@cap.org.uk.

Katharine Mason

Katharine studied Law with French Law at UCL and in Paris and trained in the City where she developed a particular interest in the legal and regulatory system surrounding advertising and branding.

Katharine specialises in giving advice relating to taste & decency, food and health supplements and marketing targeted at children. You can contact Katharine directly on 020 7492 2191 or email her at katharinem@cap.org.uk.
 

Tom Marshall

After qualifying as a nurse in Belfast, Tom specialised in neurosurgical and neuroradiological nursing in Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge.  After working abroad in Bangalore, India, Tom continued his education at Durham University, graduating in Anthropology and Sociology in 2001. He started a new career, initially focusing on NHS and ethical pharmaceutical market research before moving onto FMCG and financial research. 

Since joining the Copy Advice Team, Tom specialises in advising on health-related products and therapies, including complementary and alternative medicines. You can contact Tom directly on 020 7492 2106 or email him at tomm@cap.org.uk

James Craig

James graduated from the University of Southampton with an LLB in 2005, and was called to the Bar by Inner Temple in 2007. He spent just under three years as Legal Counsel at the Federation Against Software Theft, where he was responsible for protecting the intellectual property rights of software publishers through enforcement and lobbying. 

James joined the Copy Advice Team in August 2009, and specialises in supermarket and utilities advertising. You can contact James directly on 020 7492 2166 or email him at jamesc@cap.org.uk

Suzanne Thomas

Suzanne has a BA in Communication and Cultural Studies with Media from Leeds University. She started her career in Broadcast post-production working for Christian Television Broadcasting, Life TV and then Technicolor Network Services for The Disney Channel and Jetix. She then worked in the ASA Complaints Team for 3 and a half years before moving to Copy Advice.   

Suzanne specialises in cosmetic and weight control advertising, as well as issues concerning religious offence. You can contact Suzanne directly on 020 7492 2149 or email her at suzannet@cap.org.uk 

James Wilkinson Green

 James studied Law with Philosophy at Northampton university. After graduating he worked in the financial sector before moving into campaign management for an outdoor advertising company where he worked for nearly four years.

James specialises in environmental, financial, motoring and travel advertising. You can contact James directly on 020 7492 2154 or email him at jamesw@cap.org.uk 

Simon Mockler

Simon studied art at Camberwell Art College then read Modern Languages at Cambridge. He worked for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman before joining the Advertising Standards Authority as an Investigations Executive. Four years later he moved to the Copy Advice team, and brings an in-depth knowledge of the Codes and ASA Council decisions to his work. 

Simon specialises in telecoms, betting and supermarket advertising as well as comparisons and verifiability. You can contact Simon directly on 020 7492 2201 or email him at simonm@cap.org.uk

Please note: our advisers do not give legal advice.