New look for new ASA
25 October 2004
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) revealed its new brand identity today in preparation for the launch of its new one-stop shop for all advertising complaints on 1st November. From this date, Ofcom will contract out responsibility for handling complaints about TV and radio ads to the ASA. The ASA will continue to control the self-regulation of non-broadcast advertising as it has done for over 40 years.
The new brand
Developed by Columns Design, the new brand retains the ASA's 'red tick' concept and has been designed to work in an animated format on screen as well as in print [see attached files]. It was unveiled to broadcasters, advertisers and advertising agencies at a business seminar introducing the new regulatory structure and will be used by the ASA from 1st November.
The new regulatory structure
Designed to be simple for consumers to access, two parallel systems for regulating broadcast and non-broadcast advertising will operate behind the one-stop shop front. This is because the ASA's co-regulatory partnership with Ofcom differs from the existing self-regulatory system for non-broadcast advertising. Broadcast media have to be licensed by Ofcom, while non-broadcast media are free of Ofcom oversight. The ASA will be accountable to Ofcom for its effectiveness in regulating broadcast advertising and will be able to refer any unco-operative broadcaster to Ofcom for further action. But Ofcom has no remit over the ASA's non-broadcast activity, where the Office of Fair Trading will continue to provide a legal backstop for misleading ads.
The Advertising Codes
Under broadcast self-regulation, a new industry body - the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) - will take charge of setting, reviewing and revising the broadcast advertising codes. Any changes will have to be approved by Ofcom and Ofcom will also be able to insist on changes to the broadcast codes, although it would not normally seek to do this.
Funding
The one-stop shop will be funded by advertisers, via levies on display advertising and broadcast airtime. The levies will be collected and managed separately by two funding boards, preserving the ASA's independence from the advertising industry.
Speakers at the seminar included Lord Currie, Chairman of Ofcom, Graham Duff, Managing Director of ITV Sales, and Linda Smith, Group Commercial Director of Capital Radio Group. Introducing the new structure, ASA Chairman, Lord Borrie QC, said: "There can be little doubt of the need for a one-stop shop. To date this year, the ASA has received over 5,600 complaints about TV or radio ads - complaints about which we have been able to do nothing. The forthcoming launch of the new ASA will dismantle the regulatory hurdles that consumers have always had to navigate simply to lodge a complaint."