The regulatory maze marketing teams face

If you work in marketing at a regulated firm, you already know the rule of three: fair, clear and not misleading. The UK’s FCA enforces it under COBS 4; Section 21 of FSMA defines “financial promotion” broadly enough to cover almost everything you publish; and the ASA’s CAP Code 3.1 bans misleading claims across ads and social channels. In the EU, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and new restrictions on generic “green” claims add another layer of scrutiny.

That’s a lot to manage while shipping campaigns at a rapid pace.

Marketing Agent is Zango’s new AI agent built for this reality. It prescreens campaigns before they reach compliance teams - raising first-pass approval rates by up to 80% - and continuously monitors live assets so you can spot and fix risks before they become incidents. 

Common workflow pain points

In most regulated firms, marketing and compliance teams still work in silos:

• Creation in fragments - copy in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, visuals in Figma, video in a drive and disclaimers in email threads.
• Manual pre-checks - creators guess what’s risky; compliance flags keywords but misses context.
• Queue + rework - Vague feedback (“tone down the claim”) leads to multiple versions and missed go-live dates.
• No audit memory - Screenshots in tickets. Decisions scattered across Slack, email, and PDFs make it hard to prove control.
• Post-publish blind spots - Pages get tweaked, posts are reused, and affiliates improvise. Issues surface only when a complaint or regulator intervenes.
  

Real-world impact

In 2024 alone, the FCA intervened in 19,766 promotions, a sign that regulator expectations are rising, not easing.

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What is Zango’s Marketing Copilot?

Think of it as two guardrails for your go-to-market strategy: a pre-publication reviewer and a post-publication watcher, both tuned for FCA / ASA and EU consumer-protection rules.

Pre-Publication: fix issues before they become incidents

• Campaign Wizard - Upload assets (copy, images, video) with metadata such as market, product and audience; auto-transcribes videos.
  
• AI Pre-Screen (for creators) - Real-time risk rating grouped by rule (e.g., COBS 4.5 risk warnings, ASA CAP Code 3.1 misleading, PS23/6 crypto promotions). One-click “Fix-it” rewrites content and “Show regulation source” links directly to the relevant clause so teams know why a change matters.
  
• Case Management (for compliance & managers) - Highlighted findings, threaded tasks (with mentions and due dates) and version comparisons keep everyone aligned.
  
• Approval Flow - Approve, reject or request changes with a full, automatic audit trail.
  

After Publication: Continuous Monitoring

• Website Drift Detection - Alerts if edits remove disclosures, change APRS or alter targeting cues.
  
• Social Media Monitoring - Connect LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. The AI scans for unbalanced claims, missing risk qualifiers and unapproved hashtags - critical for influencer and affiliate activity under tighter FCA scrutiny.
  
• Multi-Jurisdictional Knowledgebase - Toggle UK/EU standards to ensure the right rules apply for every audience. Such as ‘fair, clear, not misleading’ (COBS 4 & CAP Code) and UCPD/Empowering Consumers rules

How AI Improves Marketing Compliance

Built for Every Marketing Role

Marketing Creator: Real-time compliance flags tied to the exact rule, plus auto-routed content for review to cut back-and-forth.

Compliance Officer: One workspace to review, comment, and sign off — every change tracked with a full audit trail.

Legal: A complete record of rules cited, changes made, and decisions logged — providing end-to-end legal assurance.

What the AI Checks

AI checks adapt to business profile, jurisdiction, and campaign type—building a tailored ruleset for organisation and flagging only what’s relevant in that specific instance. e.g.

• COBS 4 - Fair, clear, not misleading; balanced risks/benefits; prominent warnings; accurate comparisons
  
• ASA CAP Code 3.1 triggers: Avoids exaggerated performance claims, unclear qualifications and fine-print disclaimers.
  
• PS23/6 (crypto): Mandatory risk warnings, cooling-off requirements, no “guaranteed” returns and journey frictions; no unapproved “refer a friend” incentives.
  
• EU UCPD & Empowering Consumers Directive - No vague “eco-friendly” claims without proof; bans unverified sustainability labels.
  

Every flag from our agents links directly to the source clause - so your teams understand what was flagged and why. 

Measurable Impact and Analytics That Matter

• Average review time by product and channel
  
• First-pass approval rate and top fixes driving improvement
  
• Weekly violation trends with drill-downs
  
• Automated reports for stakeholders and regulators
  

These metrics help you demonstrate two things regulators care about: control and continuous improvement.

The Impact in Two Weeks

• Fewer Loops: Creators can rectify most issues before compliance has to see them, so they can focus on judgment calls.
  
• Faster Response Times: Shorter queues, quicker approvals.
  
• Fewer Surprises: Continuous monitoring catches post-launch drift early.
  
• Cleaner Audits: Every decision, change, and rationale captured in one place.

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Now is the Time to Rethink Marketing Compliance

Regulators are expanding scope and raising the bar

• ASA continues to penalise unclear disclaimers.
  
• FCA has tightened financial promotions rules, especially for crypto.
  
• EU rules on environmental claims are getting stricter.

Marketing Copilot gives you the tools to keep creative freedom and compliance certainty, without guesswork. 

See Marketing Copilot in Action

Sandbox setup for quick adoption

Trial five sample campaigns, three regulatory rule packs, and live monitoring for your site and social channels -  so you can see exactly where the time (and risk) goes.

Metrics that matter

Track average review time, first-pass approvals, top violations, post-publish risk and weekly trends - data that proves control and continuous improvement, the two outcomes regulators care about most.

Ship faster. Leave fewer gaps. Sleep better.

Regulators aren’t easing off. Marketing teams can no longer rely on manual checks, scattered approvals, and post-launch silence. Marketing Copilot helps firms launch faster, reduce risk, and stay audit-ready - without sacrificing creativity.

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Sources & further reading

• _{FCA COBS 4 and FSMA Section 21 overview; enforcement data and channel scope. (COBS 4 , Section 21)}
  
• _{ASA CAP Code 3.1   Misleading advertising. (ASA)}
  
• _{FCA PS23/6   Financial promotion rules for cryptoassets. (FCA)}
  
• _{EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive & 2024 “Empowering Consumers” update (green claims). (European Commission, Reuters)}
  

_{Note: This post is for information only and doesn’t constitute legal advice. Always apply your firm’s policies and seek counsel where appropriate.}

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