Full text of complaint to ASA
The Times Higher Education Supplement, Page 31 January 19 2007
This job advert was placed by Smart Public recruitment agency, and is seeking a Centre Director for the company INTO University of Exeter.
The advert has the catching headline and corporate logo:
INTO University Partnerships
The first sentence reads as follows:
‘INTO is a university-led initiative which is improving the….’
My complaint is that this is a false claim, and that INTO is absolutely not a university-led initiative.  There are a number of companies to which the sentence could be referring: INTO University Partnerships Ltd (reg. no. 05507863); INTO Partnership LLP (OC313050); and INTO Ltd (05157574). None of these companies have Directors or Partners appointed by any universities. 
There are two companies that do have some relationship. Both are Joint Venture companies between INTO University Partnerships Ltd and two universities, the University of East Anglia and the University of Exeter. In both cases the universities only have 50% of shares. They do not control or fully own these Joint Ventures.
The wording of the advert gives the misleading impression that ALL of the INTO companies are a ‘university-led initiative’, when in fact the INTO group of companies are tightly controlled by companies that are not owned or controlled by any universities.
From the response:
‘We have taken your complaint up with the advertisers’ [Smart Public Consultants, who placed the ad for INTO]. ‘We believe you have a valid point and, with a view to acting quickly, have instructed Smart Public Consultants to change their ad.. We have asked them to remove references to INTO as a university-led initiative in future advertising. Once we get an assurance from them that they will change their ad, we will close the case. Basic information including advertisers' name and where the ad appeared will be published on our website, www.asa.org.uk.’