Annual Review 2022: A Year In Policy

Sue Eustace, Public Affairs Director, Advertising Association

This has been a year of huge political change. We started the year in lockdown with the Government led by one Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) and end the year with Prime Minister Number 3 (Rishi Sunak).

The political agenda has been dominated by the reverberations of post Brexit, with the Conservative Government’s desire to make the most of the opportunity to cast off its EU shackles, and the economic turbulence of the pandemic.

So as we near the year end and reflect back, we see it has been momentous, with policy proposals so enthusiastically championed by Johnson – from Channel 4 privatisation to HFSS – now being re-thought, put on the back burner, or even cast aside.

The UK continues to forge a path globally in digital regulation. But where the Government was world-leading, for example with the Digital Markets Unit, the Online Safety Bill and the Online Advertising Programme – the political stasis of the last six months has meant that competitors have caught up and are now setting the agenda. The US has a blueprint AI Bill of Rights, while the EU has already passed its Digital Services Act and is moving at pace to pass an AI Act.

One thing that is essential to all adland and that’s the importance of self-regulation and the ASA, which many of us see could be threatened by the Government’s Online Advertising Programme.

Advertising is a vital engine of the economy. It drives innovation, competition and funds a pluralistic media. We say to politicians, regulation is important but don’t over-regulate because this can lead to disproportionate and unintended effects. The new HFSS restrictions, introduced through the Health Act this year, are a case in point. Nowhere in the world has advertising bans of this kind reduced obesity levels, which was the objective sought.

You can download a full copy of our 2022 Annual Review here.