Advertising Standards Authority looks at Internet

GuyClapperton 0 363 Views

The news in the UK that our Advertising Standards Authority is being urged to monitor Internet ads as well as those offline will raise two sets of eyebrows.

First there will be those people who assumed it did already. There are ads online, how can an advertising standards authority not be looking at them? It's logical enough.

The other set of eyebrows to be raised are...well...mine. And what surprises me isn't the idea that the ASA isn't monitoring adverts, it's the idea that any single-country and therefore parochial organisation could even begin to patrol the Internet when by definition it exists without geographical boundaries.

This is where it gets very difficult indeed to see how such an idea would work. I'm from the UK, which makes me linguistically close to America but psychologically I believe I'm closer to Europe. This isn't a political but philosophical statement - you might remember the famous 'nipplegate' incident in 2004 when Janet Jackson's breast was partly exposed during the Superbowl; over here we don't all know what a superbowl is, any more than Americans would be expected to identify the FA Cup, but it hit the news mostly because everyone was so surprised at the fuss. You want to see topless women, you come to many mainland European beaches in the Summer - but it's no big deal. One of our national newspapers, the Sun, has a topless woman every day on page 3 and it's considered a family newspaper (I confess I find that a little odd).

I mention this example because I don't want to draw in more extreme moral mores from countries with which we have other disputes; this sort of mis-match between two cultures as closely allied as the UK and US would make it difficult, I suggest, to reach consensus every time over what's acceptable and what's not. Come to think of it you'd probably find difficulty reaching true consensus across every American State.

I'm torn, I admit. Should there be some sort of moratorium on violence, Nazi images, explicit sex, to market products and services? Yes of course there should, because if there isn't then a tiny handful of organisations will seek to take advantage of any laxity. But can I conceive of how you'd put the right watching organisation in place? Unfortunately not. Any suggestions welcome...

Dani AI

Generated

raised the right practical worry in 2010: a single‑country body faces real limits when rules meet a borderless internet. The regulatory picture has changed since then. The UK’s CAP Code and the ASA now set out, in detail, which kinds of online material count as advertising (paid placements, influencer advertorials, paid search, and — since 2011 — much content on a company’s own social channels), and publish guidance on where the rules apply. (asa.org.uk)

How that works in the real world is less about blanket global policing and more about defined criteria and cooperation. If a communication appears in paid‑for space or is clearly targeted at UK consumers, the CAP Code will usually apply; where material sits outside the ASA’s direct remit it can be referred via the European cross‑border complaints system or to the authority in the country where the marketer is based. The ASA has also piloted formal cooperation with major platforms and ad‑tech intermediaries to improve compliance and removals. (asa.org.uk)

Practical steps that follow from this framework: treat online channels the same as other media. Label sponsored or paid influencer posts clearly (simple, prominent labels such as “Ad” are recommended), keep evidence for claims and for any paid or gifted relationships, avoid “adopting” user content without disclosure, and use geo‑/age‑targeting where appropriate. ASA guidance on recognising social media ads and influencer posts gives concrete examples and preferred disclosure approaches. (asa.org.uk)

Bottom line: national regulators cannot magically police the whole internet, but the ASA/CAP approach — clear scope rules, cross‑border referral routes and platform cooperation — gives workable levers. Any campaign likely to reach UK consumers should be designed to comply with the CAP Code from the start. (asa.org.uk)

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