CAP and the ASA are always producing helpful guidance on how advertisers can comply with the UK advertising codes. Today they have published their top 7 tips for using testimonials and endorsements in ads.

A key point to remember is that, when using consumers' or celebrity brand ambassadors' posts to promote a brand, the advertiser is still required to ensure that it can substantiate any claim made in those posts. Particular care should be taken when retweeting in case the tweet contains anything inaccurate or likely to mislead.

A couple of the tips stand out to me as being ones that crop up again and again: #2 (obtain permission) - just because someone has left a positive review does not mean they are happy for the brand to publish it (together with their name and image) six-feet wide on a billboard; and #4 (don't be sad, use #ad) - the last two years have seen the ASA take a much more strict approach to appropriate disclosures for influencers. Check out our cross-jurisdiction analysis on this topic published earlier this year.