‘Trust the messenger, trust the message’: How regulation raises the creative ambition of our industry

How does advertising’s self-regulatory system drive trust and maintain a vibrant UK advertising market? On Wednesday morning, the Advertising Association held an event alongside ASBOF, the body which funds the ASA, to debate and explore the idea that regulation can liberate the content that it controls.

The event introduced the work of Adam Morgan, co-author of ‘A Beautiful Constraint’, who explored the need to reframe the negative language around ‘constraints’, arguing that boundaries and regulation are a stimulus to do better and are in fact vital to successful innovation.

Chaired by McCann UK & Europe President Mark Lund OBE, also chair of ASBOF, the event reminded us of the ASA’s highly successful awareness test campaign in Scotland, outlined by AA CEO Stephen Woodford and CEO of the ASA, Guy Parker. 

Those who saw the ASA’s campaign were a third more likely to trust the ASA than those who didn’t; ultimately public trust in advertising can be supported by increasing awareness of our regulatory bodies.

With the legitimate online advertising landscape challenged by scam ads, the importance of developing innovative models and detectors to help tackle the ever-changing landscape of regulating online adverts is critical, added Parker.

The session also heard from TikTok’s Director of UK Government Relations Elizabeth Kanter who outlined the work of the platform in raising awareness of the ASA’s rules through creative and informative videos from TikTok creators. Additionally, advertising’s educational literacy programme Media Smart has been working with TikTok to produce ad resources for teens in schools. 

‘If the public doesn’t trust online advertising, it will cease to be effective’ was Kanter’s message, who added that working closely with regulators is central to creating a sustainable future for digital advertising.

‘We go hunting for constraints because it makes us better’ was the conclusion of Adam Morgan. Recognising that our regulatory frameworks can be a stimulus for ambition can only raise the creative excellence of the advertising industry.

The event can be watched on YouTube here.