What does the future hold?

Other new media forms are catching up quickly with the more established types described above.

Broadband Internet

It is predicted that most businesses and many home users will have a broadband Internet connection within a few years. Broadband connections download information much faster than standard dial-ups, opening up the possibility of much more complicated graphics and video. Of course this has implications for advertising, as we will begin to see ads on the Internet with close-to-broadcast-quality moving images and sound. Often, these will feature within the brand's own website. The ASA does not seek to distinguish between editorial and advertorial on a company's own website. But banner ads, pop-ups, electronic direct marketing (such as commercial e-mails) and video does come under the Authority of the ASA.

3G mobile communications

This next generation of mobile communications will give advertisers far more opportunity to deliver their messages in a more user-friendly engaging and graphic way. We will soon be able to access pages and receive advertising messages with complicated moving images, which will look a lot more like what we see on our PCs and televisions.

Interactive TV

Television has traditionally been a one-way experience with programmes and ads being delivered to a largely passive audience. The picture is changing with the advent of digital television and we can now use our TV remote control to take part in quizzes, find out more about a product in an ad or enter a competition. There are rules for Interactive TV advertisements which can be found in the Advertising Codes section of our website.

Moving outdoor posters

Poster sites with electronic moving images are appearing at rail stations and other locations across the country. These posters can give news, weather and travel updates as well as "silent movie" advertisements where movement and colour can entertain and capture the attention of passers by. You'll also see moving image advertising inside trains and buses, and this could be a trend for the future. Next up, video ads on ATM machines and also on street furniture e.g. information points.