Ad watchdog rules monitor size matters

Descriptions must be clarified, says ASA

In a move set to shake up advertising departments throughout the land, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that the entire computer industry must clarify its description of monitor screen sizes.

From 1 May every monitor manufacturer must make it clear that the cathode ray tube measurement shown on adverts is the actual viewable area of the screen and doesn't include inches covered by the casing.

After complaints against Tiny, Evesham and Time were upheld by the ASA on 28 March, the authority contacted all computer manufacturers and directed them to the new method of classification designed to stop consumers being misled.

Alison Boswell, from Tiny, responded positively: "It was an industry-wide problem and all we could do, like everyone else, was to hold up our hands and agree to the changes."

This change is likely to work out well for consumers but will be a headache for advertising departments, as monitors will no longer be classified in standard distinct sizes. To see a full transcription of the adjudication, visit www.asa.org.uk.