Short Intro to The ASA for BTEC Media

1. What is the…

2. Advertising Standards Authority
Paid for the advertisers themselves
Covers all advertising not covered by the Broadcasting Act of 1955 (TV and Radio)
Acts as an independent body of arbitration in ad disputes
It is not a legally enforceable code, but most advertisers adhere to it stringently
The basic principles of the Codes are that advertisements should be:
• Legal, decent, honest and truthful
• Prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society
• In line with the principles of fair competition generally accepted in business.

3. How it works
• Self-regulation works alongside the law but is more flexible
than legislation and can adapt quickly to new forms of
advertising and changes in public attitudes.
• The ASA can take action to have an advertisement
withdrawn or changed without having to wait for a complaint.
Around 10,000 advertisements a week are spot checked by
the ASA’s staff. These checks help the Authority to keep
an eye on trends and to act quickly to have an advertisement
stopped if it raises a problem under the Codes.

4. What does it regulate?
•Press - national, regional, magazines and free newspapers
•Outdoor - posters, transport, aerial announcements
•Direct marketing
•direct mail, leaflets, brochures, catalogues, circulars, inserts and
facsimiles. As well as the content of this material, the ASA also
regulates the use of mailing lists for targeting consumers
•Cinema commercials
•Sales promotions
•on-pack promotions, front page promotions, reader offers, competitions and prize
draws
•Internet advertisements in paid for space, but not generic product
information on home pages. The remit includes:
•Banner, pop-up and other advertisements
•Commercial e-mails
•Sales promotions anywhere on-line
•Other electronic media, including advertisements on computer
games, videos, view data services and CD-ROMs
TV and Radio
comes under
broadcasting
legislation and is
regulated by
OFCOM / ITC

5. What can it do to offenders? Persuasion – Best and most
effective
Consensus – Agreement on
where lines were crossed and
how best to avoid the issue again
Refusal – ASA can ask publishers
and media owners to refuse
further space – most will comply
Publication of judgements
weekly on the website, often
picked up by media / press
Withdrawal of privileges –
trading, discounts, industry
protection
Referral to Office of Fair Trading
who can take legal action

6. Case Study (TV Ad)
• 300 complaints
• The independent television commission ruled today that the word
"slag" was so offensive to women it could not be used on TV, even
after the watershed.
• The tongue in cheek campaign shows men used to more wholesome
snacks at home sneaking off to enjoy an illicit Pot Noodle.
• The advertising campaign was changed to use a different slogan.

7. Task – ASA Website
• Find three rulings on different media (not TV) that have been made
by the ASA in the past year (2016-17)
• Add these to a presentation to demonstrate some examples of how
adverts are regulated.
Extension: Look on the ITC
website and find a controversial
TV campaign that has been
adapted or withdrawn in the
last year

8. Homework
• Complete today’s task by next lesson
• Complete your questionnaires. By the end of next week, I would like
you to have gone out and asked real people to respond to your
questionnaires.