Making headlines

26 April 2006

The fifth in our series of articles looking behind the scenes of the advertising regulatory system, takes a look at the work of the press officer within the ASA's Communications team.
 
The Communications team works to promote the efficacy of the self-regulatory system. The team of five cover the whole range of marketing disciplines: marketing, event management, publications and literature, public and media relations. We all share the task of answering questions from the public, be they via e-mail, post or telephone.

Primarily the role of Press Officer is to deal with media enquiries. Each week the ASA publishes its decisions on the complaints that it has investigated and the system relies on negative publicity as being one of the most effective way of ensuring compliance with the advertising codes. Very few advertisers wish to court controversy - it is an extremely risky road to take. Offending or misleading a potential customer will not encourage them to go out and buy your product or use your service. 

The press office manages the publication of ASA investigations. Once the hard work of investigating has been done, we will ensure that the adjudications are published on our website and answer any media enquiries that they attract. Adjudications are published every Wednesday and can encourage a flurry of media interest. 

As well as briefing journalists on the ASA's ruling, we will represent the ASA in broadcast interviews, and need to be able to speak informatively on the wide range of subjects brought to the ASA's attention- from roof cladding to horse feed.

There is no such thing as a typical day for a press officer.  With advertising forming the wallpaper to our lives, there is always a new advertising campaign or a new issue grabbing attention. It's a job that demands flexibility, a willingness to work long hours, a cool head when the going gets tough and, of course, a love of talking.

Today, you may have read or heard about the publication of the Annual Report.  It's the busiest day of the year for the Press Office, with the phones ringing from before 7am until well into the evening.   You can access the Report on our website at www.asa.org.uk/asa/annual_report/.   We hope you enjoy it.