From 1st March 2011, online brand marketing will become regulated by Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) as it extends its jurisdiction to include websites and more influentially, also covering social media content referred to globally as 'marketing communication'. And you will have to be compliant with the rules in less than a month's time.
This move has taken over 5 years to implement, initiated by a report published by The Food Commission in 2005 which brought to light some of the World's leading confectionary brands, including Chupa Chups, Smarties, Nesquik and Frosties, who were allegedly marketing to children via the internet.
Until most recently, all brands would try to build marketing campaigns to chase and maintain a voice with their current marketplace. To use Nesquik as a great example, their twitter profile is functioning very well as a branding medium, the design appeals to adults and children alike and its success is undisputed given its accrued nearly 4000 followers, outnumbering the followings by 3:1 – a remarkable example of how marketing has changed through social media, the customer is now CHASING THE PRODUCT.
(on a personal note: Haribo doesn’t have a twitter site yet but their name is tweeted many many times over by fellow addicts – yey!)
The ASA has long acknowledged the impact that this uncensored sector could have on society and have confirmed that until now, they are unauthorised to investigate over 60% of complaints they receive about digital marketing. But, with the new jurisdiction all that is set to change so be ready to check your content…
Included: The new ASA powers cover all aspects of marketing communications from organisations operating from the UK, both on their own sites and any free online space used, such as branded Facebook and Twitter pages. Exc>Inc: User-generated content (UGC) is not included in the remit. HOWEVER, if a company incorporates any UGC into its own marketing, it will of course become accepted under the company’s ‘adopted’ ownership and would therefore be subject to the regulations equal to any marketing content under their original ownership. Excluded: Any material that is not marketing contained within a website is not subject to these changes ie. as with existing (non-digital) media, the regulations will not cover press releases, corporate reports, editorial content, classified private ads, political advertisements and investor relations.
The ASA says its 'primary concern is not to punish advertisers' so in the first instance, they plan to use online name-and-shame tactics coupled by the removal of online services/contracts/privileges, therefore turning the tables on the offended party by using the speed of digital networking against them.
(source : Gemma Charles, marketingmagazine.co.uk, 02 February 2011)
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