ASA’s Impact On Content and Marketing Practices
Authors Bio:
IslaMarie is a marketing and SEO consultant for Red Evolution, working in London to Aberdeen she specialises in Social Media, Mocial Marketing and Integrated Specialisms.
It has always been said by digital marketeers and various forms of SEO company that ‘content is king’ however what does this term actually mean? Put simply content features in everything which digital marketers do from advertising to websites and social media. It is the ideal medium in which to not only communicate with potential consumers but to also learn from them.
The process of writing content for these sorts of channels has normally been a fairly relaxed one however it was announced a few weeks ago that the ASA are to extend their remit to cover all paid and un-paid content which means that marketers will have to consider what and how they write form now on.
What Is The ASA’s Role?
The ASA stands for the Advertising Standards Authority, it is their job to ensure that advertising and ,as of March, all marketing communications are not in infringement of set advertising regulations. Infringement of these regulations can cover a wide range of areas such as misleading terms or imagery to offending or incorrect messages and claims the list is endless. We all hear about it when an advert is withdrawn due to complaints to the ASA from BudLight’s Superbowl advertising (which has had to be withdrawn every year since 2006 due to complaints) to Loreal and their airbrushed images the resulting outrage of the public which typically goes hand in hand with this sort of action can destroy a companies brand reputation.
However the ASA‘s role is primarily a preventative one with the objective to stop offensive or misleading forms of advertising/messages reaching the public in the first place. However there is always going to be an area of overlap and uncertainty when it comes to advertising due to the fact that as with anything creative the ‘offensive nature’ of a advert, image or general communication is down to perception by the intended market. This in turn can cause problems like Bud Light have found with the Superbowl advertising which despite appealing to the target market offended a small selection of people result in complaints and the overall removal of the advert. Since the removal of the advert from television it has been viewed over 16 Million Times on YouTube and has started a trend with the brand which has since had each of its Superbowl adverts pulled due to complaints since 2006.
Change On The Horizon
However with the ASA set to extend its remit in March to cover paid and unpaid, on and offline media and communications marketers are going to have to be much more aware of the type of communications they have. For example until now many social media channels were free from the scrutiny of the strict eye of the ASA and so many of these communications would go unchecked and unplanned however with the danger that one flippant or offhand comment could get the company now reprimanded marketers are going to have to be a lot stricter with the type of communications which they have with consumers.
One of the key problems with marketing is the measurement of both input and outputs when it is not a figurative amount however with this in mind many marketeers are turning to an SEO company for help and guidance when it comes to monitoring all things online. These forms of companies specialise in making the most out of social media channels and communications, not only allowing you to monitor discussions relating to your brand but to also save and store the data to be used to inform future marketing campaigns.
One thing to always bear in mind with this sort of work however is that social media allows to to target JUST your target audience and so advertising which may be suitable and appeal online in a social community may not be so opening accepted on a wide society level such as on TV. Providing that you bear in mind the key point above there should be no reason why you cannot make your social and digital campaigns work for you.
Related articles
- Conflict in provisions of the ASA and CPA advertising matters (terms-and-conditions.net)
- ASA’s real-world campaign about online marketing (distilled.co.uk)
