ASA launches UK-wide ad campaign

This week, the ASA has launched the UK rollout of its consumer-facing ad campaign, designed to build the public’s awareness, confidence and trust in advertising and its self-regulatory system.

The campaign has been developed in partnership with the Advertising Association’s Trust Working Group, with creative from The Leith Agency and media planning by MediaCom London.

This is the biggest-ever awareness campaign for our industry’s regulator – which marks its 60^th anniversary this year – and it will raise the ASA’s profile, reminding public and businesses alike that UK ads across media are regulated, and that there’s a body to maintain standards and step in when needed.

On the campaign launch, our CEO, Stephen Woodford, said: “Rebuilding public trust in advertising is a critical mission for our industry and the national rollout of the ASA’s advertising campaign is the next big step forward, following our Scotland-only test in 2021.  We saw in that test the highly positive impact on public trust that results from this engaging, multimedia campaign. It conveys effectively that every ad they see in every media channel must be legal, decent, honest and truthful through complying with the ASA rules.

“Huge thanks go to all our media owners who have given brilliant support to this – the biggest campaign the ASA has ever done – as well as the brands providing well-known campaigns and icons that the public love and respond warmly to. Thanks also to our creative agency Leith, working with the Mediacom team so well to make this happen.

“Funded by the advertisers, ASA regulation is the critical underpinning of trust in our advertising ecosystem. It is vital we all support our world-class self-regulatory system and help to increase the public’s awareness of it, if we are to continue to rebuild public trust in advertising.”

Businesses including Tesco, Marmite, IRN-BRU, Lloyds, and Churchill feature in the campaign, which will run on TV, print, online, cinema and OOH channels over the next three months.

The campaign is backed with advertising inventory from media owners including ITV, News UK, Sky, Mail Metro Media, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard, Channel 4 and Reach plc.

In digital media, it will be featured on YouTube, Yahoo, Snapchat and Meta’s channels. Outdoors, the campaign is backed with inventory from Clear Channel, Global, JCDecaux and Ocean Outdoor, and will also see support from DCM and Pearl & Dean in cinemas.

Find out more on the ASA’s website.