The Informer

16 February 2007

Our series of articles looking behind the scenes of the self-regulatory system turns its attention to how research is used to inform and aid us in our work. Sally Hubbard writes:

In order for the self-regulatory system to work efficiently and to the best of its ability, it is important for all working within it to fully understand the people that we deal with. This is not only the people that make complaints to the ASA, but also the advertisers who are the focus of those complaints. More widely, it includes those making use of the services that are on offer, such as the ASA and CAP websites, or the CAP Copy Advice service. Lastly, advertising affects all our lives, so we need to understand the attitudes and behaviours of the UK population at large.

My function as Research and Information Executive is to facilitate the process of the ASA and CAP obtaining a better understanding of the attitudes and beliefs of their audiences. Using a mixture of research and information gathering, I’m able to help those making policy decisions to make informed decisions.

Both ASA and CAP use a mixture of ongoing, continuous research and specially commissioned ad hoc projects to inform their work. We have an ongoing survey which measures customer satisfaction levels. Ad hoc research is commissioned for specific policy areas. Some projects are commissioned solely for our use, but others may be done alongside other bodies with a shared interest in that issue; last year, for example,  we published a report into the ‘Effects of advertising in respect of compensation claims for personal injuries’, which was co-commissioned with the Department of Constitutional Affairs.

So what kind of research does the ASA do? If you visit the Research section of the ASA website, you will see that we look at a broad range of topics. We may be looking at young people’s perception of the media, or focusing on a topic such as serious offence.  Some serve as a useful picture of how society has changed; in the past we have undertaken research alongside bodies such as the BBC into swearing.  The report Delete Expletives contains a useful guide of “rated” swear words. As well as giving the current rating of the specified words, it also states previous standing; a useful measure as to how perceptions and language change over time.

We can use research to measure the impact of policy changes. In 2005, research was commissioned to look at the subject of alcohol advertising and young people. The focus of this project was to study the impact of the new rules for alcohol advertising that were introduced that year. The new rules sought to further restrict the appeal of alcohol advertising to those under 18s. A follow-up project to this will be repeated later this year. The results will let us know if the new rules are working or whether further policy changes are necessary.

And lastly, we can also use research to inform policy. CAP is reviewing the advertising codes and, as any changes will need to be robust and evidence-based, research will pay a key part in helping determine the necessity and nature of any amendments or additions that are proposed. The industry is looking to future-proof the self-regulatory system to ensure that it is effective in the digital age so I’m keeping track of developments and trends in digital and new media. 2007 will be a very busy year for us. But that is to be expected; research activity at the ASA is varied, and in today’s fast changing advertising and consumer environment there are no shortages of areas to explore in order to add to our knowledge.