ASA - Advertising Standards Authority
The ASA are the Advertising Standards Authority
The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media. They apply the Advertising Codes, which are written by the Committees of Advertising Practice.
3 Their mission is to ensure that advertising in all media is legal, decent, honest and truthful, to the benefit of consumers, business and society.
The ASA is funded by advertisers through an arm’s length arrangement that guarantees the ASA’s independence. They receive no government funding and there work is free to the tax payer.
5. What are the key principles of the advertising codes – advertisements should not mislead or cause serious or widespread offence or harm, especially to children or the vulnerable.
The key principles stop advertisers from giving out false information and manipulating viewer’s minds.
6. With regard to advertising regulation, what is pre-clearance? – Advertisements must reflect the spirit, not merely the letter, of the code. Advertisements must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to the audience and to society. Advertisements must comply with the law and broadcasters must make that a condition of acceptance.
7. How many complaints do the ASA need to receive about an advert before deciding to investigate? – With any complaint we receive, our focus is on providing a fair and thorough process for all involved. If they receive a substantial amount of complaints then the ASA investigate on the advert and see if it’s worth ruling out.
8. What might make adverts controversial? - The adverts might be seen as controversial if they offend encourage any type of cruelty. I Agree that the Paddy Power advert verdict is correct as it is meant in a light hearted tone.
The Marie Stopes advert also received the correct verdict as the advert is meant to promote post-conception advice service and not abortion.
The Irn-Bru advert however is controversial as the animals are led to a butcher and its advertising a drink for all ages which means all children and teens may be encouraged or offended by this advert.
The CO2 advert is exaggerated about the likelihood and impact of extreme weather conditions. However I don’t think it was that bad enough to pull the advert so the ASA made the right decision.
The maritalaffair billboard should have been pulled as it encourages affairs and shows that it’s acceptable.
The John Lewis advert isn’t harmful and the segment with the dog is small so it didn’t endorse animal cruelty
The Oven pride advert is light hearted and meant in a funny manner so the ASA made the right decision
The magazine advert should have been pulled as it does show personal correspondence and it could mislead people into thinking they actually need it.
The marmite advert is light hearted and doesn’t try to relate specifically to the politics of today so the ASA made the right decision
The Durex advert is fine on TV as it doesn’t promote sexual scenes or images.
9.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSG807d3P-U&feature=player_embedded this is a banned UK Levis advert. It’s clear to see that it is banned for wrong use of disability and also sexual content when the girl buttons up in front of the mans face.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuRQmvykwk&feature=player_embedded This is a Xbox 360 advert which was banned in 2005. Its clear that the advert is banned for gunplay and possibly glamorising shooting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OknElEusVhM This is a banned advert from Apple who are advertising their iPhone 3G. It was banned for false advertising as customers aren’t guaranteed ‘Really fast’ speeds as connections vary where the users are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGmEcuzvl9k This advert is for the Ford SportKA. Just from watching the video we see a Pigeon killed from the Hood of the car. This was obviously banned for animal cruelty and how they try to portray it in a comedic and funny way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LK2bsvBYac This is an advert for Blue Planet which was banned for Adult language even though it isn’t coming from a humans mouth. It has sexual intention which is the main reason as to why it is banned in the UK.
10. Taking into account all the research on ASA and banned commercials it is clear that the advert needs to have certain rules and guidelines for it to be deemed acceptable in the UK. For example the advert must not contain any sexual content or bad language. Also it cant have the intention either which is clear from the Xbox advert with the shooting. The advert mustn’t contain false advertisements so it is important that I am careful in what I say the product does.