Tag Archives: Advertising Association

Media Release: Social networks to fall under Advertising Standards Authority’s remit

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) could see its remit extended to cover marketing activity on companies’ websites and social networks, it was announced yesterday.

Says the Advertising Association’s (AA) release, which can be downloaded at this link:

The Advertising Association (AA) has submitted the industry’s recommendations to the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), for the extension of the non-broadcast Advertising Code in digital media, which will be administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). This landmark move for advertising self-regulation seeks to address societal concerns and will increase protection for consumers and children.

Marketing communications activity in paid-for space online is already covered by ASA. But the extended remit could come into force by Q3 2010.

A release from the ASA states:

Currently, the ASA’s online remit covers paid-for marketing communications such as pop-up and banner ads, paid-search and viral ads. However, nearly two thirds of the complaints that we receive about online marketing activity are not presently covered by the code. The proposed extension of our remit will plug this regulatory gap, ensuring that consumers enjoy the same level of protection on websites as they do in paid-for space.

UK ad spend dropped 4% in 2008, says AdAssoc

Advertising spend in the UK fell by 4 per cent last year to £18.6 billion, according to new figures from the Advertising Association (AdAssoc). The previous year saw spend grow by 4 per cent, a release from the association adds.

The newly released figures suggest the press is still the largest medium in terms of spend, attracting 37 per cent (£6,812,000 million) of total expenditure. However, this was an 11.8 per cent drop compared with the 2007’s stats for press ad spend.

Only the internet (19.1 per cent) and cinema (1 per cent) showed year-on-year growth in ad spend from 2007 to 2008.

The graph below shows the proportion of total ad spend by medium:

OUT-LAW.com: complaints about online content and ads outstrip TV and newspapers, says ASA

The annual report from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has suggested that the number of complaints made to the body about online advertising is for the first time higher than those relating to TV or newspapers.

ASA received 2,980 complaints about the internet in 2007, though 72 per cent of these related to content and as such fell outside of the authority’s jurisdiction.

“Interestingly, these complaints are almost entirely about truth, accuracy, misleadingness, and availability – the ‘meat and drink’ of the ASA’s daily work on print and broadcast ads,” said Chris Smith, chairman of ASA.

“We hope for an early outcome to the detailed discussions under way within the industry, led by the Advertising Association, on the development of ways to ensure continued responsibility in advertising in new media settings.”