Chairman's introduction
The UK advertising industry is respected around the world, not only for its creativity and effectiveness, but also for its long-established system of self-regulation through mandatory Codes and a robust enforcement mechanism.
Effective self-regulation works because it is powered by a sense of corporate social responsibility amongst advertising stakeholders. Advertisers, agencies and media owners are committed to fair competition, developing ethical marketing communications and being held accountable if things go wrong. The fact that the vast majority of ads people see in the UK are compliant with the rules is testament to this commitment.
The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) own and write the Advertising Codes that are administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). CAP and BCAP provide advice to the industry and work with the broadcast pre-clearance bodies to ensure compliance with the rules and ASA adjudications. The executive teams and the Committees are helped in their work by expert as well as independent advisory panels. Their collective dynamism and energy continue to help us keep the Advertising Codes proportionate, evidence based and effective in providing protection for consumers and a level playing field for advertisers.
This is a pivotal time for advertising regulation. In recent months our teams interpreted and reflected new legislation in the Codes, took compliance action against problem ads, supported advertisers in getting their ads right, undertook an unprecedented review of the entirety of the Codes and managed a full public consultation. Looking ahead, we’re also making significant efforts to keep pace with technological and advertising trends. It was therefore great news that the Government is confident the CAP/ASA system is the right body for regulating video-on-demand ads; we look forward to working with the key stakeholders to define and implement the necessary structure and guidance in this area.
I hope you will find our website helpful in offering an insight into who we are, what we do, what the mandatory rules say and how we can assist.
Andrew Brown
Chairman
CAP and BCAP