The UK Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has announced that from 1 March 2011 it will take over responsibility for regulating online marketing.
From this week until 27 February, the ASA will run a cross-media advertising campaign to publicise the switchover. Under the change, the CAP Code (Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing) will apply to online marketing.
The ASA will now oversee marketing on organisations’ own sites as well as any other web space under their control, including unpaid-for space such as social media pages. It will enforce rules relating to misleading advertising, child protection and social responsibility.
According to the ASA, the change is good for both business and consumers as it will “ensure the same high standards as in other media.”
When the ASA finds online marketing to be in breach of the CAP Code, it will first seek written assurance that the offending material will be removed or changed. If this does not happen, it will consider further sanctions, such as referral to the Office of Fair Trading or local Trading Standards bodies or publicising the breach on its own site.
