9th ASA Annual Consumer Conference

15 October 2004

Opening the conference, the ASA's Chairman, Lord Borrie QC, said that the ASA Council aims to reflect the expectations that consumers have about advertising and the lines the public would draw about what is appropriate or acceptable. Referring to current concerns about advertising to children, the promotion of food and alcohol, and unwanted ‘spam' e-mail and text messages, Lord Borrie emphasised that the purpose of the conference was for the ASA to hear at first hand the public's view on advertising content.

Director General, Christopher Graham, summarised the way in which the ASA handled complaints about non-broadcast advertising. Complaints, he explained, are judged by the ASA Council, a group of 12 people, the majority of whom are free from advertising interests and recruited by public advertisement. Delegates at the conference were invited to take on Council's role in a workshop setting, debating a series of real advertisements and summaries of the complaints received about them. The results of the workshop have no impact on the ASA Council's published rulings, but this didn't hinder the discussion, which was both intelligent and lively. In each case, those present voted within their groups on whether or not to uphold the complaints.