Advertising Standards Authority Gives Social Media Legit Status

01 Oct Advertising Standards Authority Gives Social Media Legit Status

In September of 2010 the Advertising Standards Authority(ASA) in the United Kingdom announced new CAP Code regulations that govern ‘non-paid-for spaces under their control’ or social media outlets. The need for regulation an advertising venue demonstrates that it is both effective and legitimate. This simply puts a government stamp on what has been known by marketing specialists for the last half of a decade or more.

Social media outlets have become a vital part of a marketing director’s arsenal. The new regulations take the responsible position that social media should be subject to the same standards as other forms of advertising and marketing to help prevent misleading ads and to insure social responsibility and the protection of children.

As with any government guidelines there are loopholes and gray areas. It is a best practice to avoid falling into a loophole. It may be possible to ‘pull one over’, but those same loopholes can open a company to lawsuits as well as negative backlash from the public. A company’s branding can suffer greatly from one poorly conceived campaign. Gray areas usually lead down the path to backlash.

Possibly, the lasting impact of the new rules is to validate social media as a marketing tool. Now marketers can show their bosses that it’s not a risky, unregulated venue, but a mature form of marketing that can not be ignored.