News Home > Social Media
ASA to Cage Twitter and Facebook in Advertising Regulations
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) are widening their net of influence to include promotions through new media sources like Twitter and Facebook as social networks become a more prominent advertising tool for businesses.
The ASA is currently responsible for overseeing advertising TV, radio and print adverts as well as online advertising through banners and display adverts, but the authority does not stretch to social microsites such as Twitter feeds, Facebook and MySpace pages or specifically designed promotional websites designed by a company for a particular online campaign.
New measures will see the ASA monitor the growing presence of social media and apply similar rules on advertising practices as are currently in place for banner advertising. “The industry has delivered a clear mandate that first and foremost will protect consumers and children that will also protect editorial content,” commented Rae Burdon, COO of the ASA to The Guardian.
The Internet Advertising Bureau in the UK described the move as a “significant step” for online advertising, as marketing through social media channels is brought into line with other media regulations. Once the advertising code is extended to incorporate the additional media channels, marketers will be bound to be responsible, honest and truthful about what they publish in their social outlays.
The potential minefield that awaits such a move is that social media channels used a forum for voicing opinions. Twitter streams can be a less formal avenue for businesses to communicate with an audience, a communication which could be straight-jacketed by the new regulations if all of a sudden the ability to speak freely is cut from what businesses can and can not say in their forums.
Social Media news posted by Frank Hudson on 08 March 2010
