Megan TurnerPR4

Regulation and its impact on content

ASA, which stands for the Advertising Standards Authority is an independent organization for the advertising industry based in London which established in 1962. The independent regulator of advertising across all media makes sure that what is being advertised is appropriate advertising and not misleading or harmful and offensive to viewers and also legal to show on TV and radio. The respond to complaints towards adverts and also when testing adverts out they go by the advertising codes.

The UK’s independent regulator for advertising across all media, act on complaints and check media to make sure advertisements are suitable to be shown and are not misleading sales promotions and direct marketing. The regulation rules that they follow are independently enforced by ASA and for TV and radio adverts they regulate under a contract from Ofcom, which is a UK regulator for TV and the radio industry which is based in England, as they meet stakeholders in different areas of England on a regular basis. Ofcom established on 23rd December 2003 and it provides electronic communication services and this also means for people who watch television or listen to the radio that Ofcom make sure the broadcast is appropriate and is not harmful material.

The regulation codes followed by ASA are the UK advertising codes that are written by two industry committees; The Committee of Advertising Practice who write the UK Code of non-broadcast advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing and The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) who write the UK code of broadcast advertising.

Compliance These are legal and decent for marketing communications that are related to social responsibility.

Recognition of marketing communications This is making sure that material is identifiable as marketing communications, advertisements or advertorials.

Misleading advertising This is when advertising is misleading, they may tell you information that the actual product doesn’t follow up to these claims.

Harm and offence This is to make sure that an advertisement doesn’t cause harm or offence to people who watch it. For example, people with photosensitive epilepsy should have the warning before the advertisement Is shown.

Children This is when adverts are directed towards children or include children in the advertisement, it has to be safe and there are rules about unfair pressure as they are

Megan TurnerPR4

children this very much applies.Privacy There are rules that apply for the privacy of

people, for example, the Royal Family have a public profile, they are protected and given privacy for the family.

Weight control and slimming Rules for adverts that are targeted for weight control, slimming foods and exercise ideas can include some content under the rules.

Medicines, medical devices, health-related products and beauty products

There are rules in place to cover evidence for products and treatments. Qualifications for people though claim they can treat, medicine rules like if it is herbal and homeopathic products or cosmetics.

Alcohol The rules and social responsibilities cover content and target 18 and over which is the legal age to drink ad buy alcohol.

Tobacco, rolling papers and filters There are rules which prevent the promotion and advertising of smoking and non-tobacco products.

Before an advert is broadcasted they will make sure they have complied with the codes so its accepted and allowed from following the UK’s advertising codes by ASA, to do this they will look at the rate cards provided in which they may have to pay for the services.

Advertisers making a complaint about another advertiser will have to provide evidence that they have tried to resolve their complaints before ASA take on the complaint as they think this saves time for more unsolved harmful issues and uses less cost to sort the problem.

To make a complaint people should first raise their concerns to the advertiser so they can hopefully fix the issue by without including ASA. If the complaint is about an online marketing communication, then the competitor show provides screenshots or links to the page(s) in which relate to the complaint and also allow five working days for a response or the issue to be sorted out before coming to ASA with the complaint. When contacting ASA about the complaints you will need a copy of the registered letter with the concerns and if there was any response from the advertiser but also if it could be focused on a maximum of three important issues.An example of ASA’s non-compliant online advertisers in which they claim to be the real and legal website or products displayed is a misleading company who are based in Hong Kong but say Australia, sell genuine Ugg Boots. ASA recently investigated the claims on www.abugg.com.au and also about them stating “15 Days Money Back Guarantee!” in which is not real. On their website an image of the real UGG Boots and what the product is made out of it was shown next to the fake image. ASA asked for them to amend their advertising but after some time, on the 19th April 2016 their web page was added to ASA as an unreliable source as they continue to advertise to consumers without responding to ASA’s enquires.