On this day

26 October 2004

For the last Update before the one-stop-shop starts work, we've looked back over the 43 year history of the ASA and CAP.

1960s
1961
The Council of the Advertising Association devises the British Code of Advertising Practice, establishes the Committee of Advertising Practice and resolves to bring into being the ASA.

22 August 1962
ASA incorporated under the Companies Act 1948.

24 September 1962
Inaugural meeting of the ASA.

1964
Spot checks begin on ads for slimming diets, hair treatments and knitting and sewing machines, vitamins, cigarettes, beauty treatments, gin, cocktails and vodka and health food drinks.

1965
Guidance is given to the travel industry to make sure that holidaymakers do not suffer inconvenience, disappointment or financial loss as a result of advertisements.

1966
Restrictions on advertising pregnancy testing kits are lifted and the ASA advises publishers they may use their discretion subject to safety conditions.

1968
Trade Descriptions Act gains Royal Assent. Government expresses its hope that the self-regulatory system will continue to operate alongside the statutory controls on advertising enforced by trading standards departments.

1970s
1970
A CAP working group looks at how to distinguish ads from editorial. New ruling and guidance issued: ads must be obviously and immediately recognisable as such.

1973
ASA publishes summaries of its rulings for the first time - but only persistent offenders are named.

1974
British Code of Sales Promotion published by CAP.

1974
Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection, Shirley Williams, criticises the ASA for not being well enough known by the public.

1975
The Advertising Standards Board of Finance Ltd (ASBOF) is set up to operate the levy arrangements.

1975
New Codes for alcoholic drink and cigarette advertising introduced, along with pre-vetting for the latter

1978
Director of Fair Trading, Gordon Borrie, calls for speedier response times and more effective compliance action in his report on the ASA.

1980s
1981
Adjudications on competitive complaints are published.

1982
Research into women's attitudes to ads finds that women most dislike images of sexual suggestiveness and stereotypes in advertising.

1984
Misleading Advertisements Directive adopted, although it does not become law until 1988. Self-regulation is the 'established means' of implementing the directive.

1987
The Hungerford shooting leads to amendments to the Codes to include new rule on violence and anti-social behaviour.

1988
The Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations add a legal backstop to the self-regulatory sanctions.

1989
The ASA's first referral to the Office of Fair Trading in 1989 results in an injunction to prevent misleading slimming claims for Speedslim.

1990s
1990
ASA agrees to oversee new sections of the Codes that apply to list and database management.

1991
The ASA co-founds the European Advertising Standards Alliance with 11 other countries.

1991
Complaints top 10,000 for the first time.

1995
Advertisements on the Internet come under the Codes.

1995
The British Safety Council's 'National Condom Week' leaflet attracts the most complaints ever received.

1998
The Commission for Racial Equality becomes the first advertiser to be subject to poster pre-vetting.

1999
The 10th edition of the Codes removes party political advertisements from the Codes' remit: political parties will in future have to regulate themselves.

2000s
2000
Yves St. Laurent's Opium poster featuring model Sophie Dahl attracts more complaints than any other ad for five years.

2001

ASA adjudications are published weekly on the Internet.

2003
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 came into force, prohibiting the advertising and promotion of tobacco products. It does not, however, cover advertisements for rolling papers or filters and does permit certain tobacco advertising at point of sale.

The 11th edition of the Code comes into force, renamed The British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing or the CAP Code.

2004

Parliament agrees to a proposal by the new broadcast and telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, to contract-out broadcast advertising regulation to a new body under the banner of the ASA.