Advertising campaigns increasingly cross national boundaries. While this commercial freedom is potentially good for both advertisers and consumers, it is important that consumers enjoy safeguards so that they can have confidence in the claims being made.
For this reason, the ASA helped to found and continues to support the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), which works to promote self-regulation within a legal framework.
What is EASA?
EASA (The European Advertising Standards Alliance) brings together national advertising self-regulatory organisations and organisations representing the advertising industry in Europe. Based in Brussels, the Alliance is the European voice for advertising self-regulation issues.
EASA was founded in 1992 to support self-regulatory bodies, such as the ASA, across Europe. It exists to help ensure that cross-border complaints are resolved as quickly and effectively as possible.
The Alliance operates a cross-border complaints procedure.
EASA Blue Book
The Blue Book - officially known as Advertising self-regulation in Europe – is published every 2-3 years and is a unique publication aimed at advertising practitioners, regulators and researchers. It contains a comprehensive overview of the scope and activities of the self-regulation systems in place and provides detailed analyses of the role of self-regulation; global self-regulatory codes; national, European and cross-border complaints statistics; recent developments in the consideration of self-regulation by EU regulators; as well as an overview of European legislation affecting advertising. The 2007 edition includes new information on high-profile issues such as the promotion of food and alcohol and marketing to children. Click here to find out more and to order a copy.
Which countries are members of EASA?
Currently 28 self-regulatory bodies are members of the Alliance, representing 22 European and four non-European countries.
Current members include:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hungary
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Russia
- Slovak Republic
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- USA
Industry associations representing advertisers, agencies and media are also members of EASA.
For a full list of industry association members click here.
For contact information for Alliance members, please click here.
How does EASA benefit UK consumers?
The ASA does not investigate complaints about advertisements published in foreign media, or about ads that originate abroad. If your complaint is about an advertisement that falls into one of these categories, it will be treated as a cross-border complaint and will be referred, through EASA, onto the relevant regulator in the country of origin. Like other complaints to the ASA, cross-border complaints are handled free of charge.
What about advertisements that originate from outside Europe?
New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the United States all have links with EASA. The ASA is still your first point of contact for complaints about ads that originate outside Europe. Where possible, the ASA will forward your complaint onto the relevant regulator abroad. The links section of the EASA website lists other non-European self-regulatory bodies.
You can find out more from its website - www.easa-alliance.org