The digital remit of the ASA has been extended to cover non-paid-for
online communications. Maxine-Laurie Marshall investigates what these new rules mean for B2B marketers
That fanfare of trumpets being blown by brands on their websites could soon be silenced thanks to the extension of the Advertising Standards Association’s (ASA) online remit. As of 1 March the The UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code), administered by the ASA, applies to UK advertisers’ marketing messages on their own websites and marketing communications in other non-paid-for space under the advertisers control, such as social networking sites.
The ASA obviously has good intentions. It says, “This significant development is good news for both consumer and business protection as it will ensure the same high standards as in other media.” However, social media was, and still is in some cases, a scary prospect for B2B marketers. Will this new regulation see B2B brands take two steps back from social media and online marketing?
Not according to Tim Cross, display ad manager at digital marketing agency Guava, “I don’t see any reason for businesses to be put off. Unless they are making false claims or leveraging questionable material, I see no reason for anyone to be afraid of using social media for marketing a business.” Yvonne Balfour, group partner of integrated marketing agency Tangible UK agrees with Cross, “If a business’s working principle in its advertising and customer communication is to be ‘legal, decent and honest’, in line with the ASA’s code, and it applies this to its online activity – be that banner ads, blogs, tweets or company website – then I don’t think it has anything to worry about.”
Despite it being the aim of most brands to be ‘legal, decent and honest’ being threatened with potential brand damaging consequences may lead some businesses to become a little paranoid. CAP’s member bodies have agreed new sanctions to monitor marketers. It can provide details of the non-compliant brand and advert on the ASA website, remove paid-for search adverts that link to the non-compliant material, and the ASA can also place adverts online highlighting an advertisers’ continual non-compliance.
Back to school
In order to avoid such consequences, marketers must be aware of the grey areas. Even though you may be compliant, if one of your ‘friends or followers’ makes a comment that can’t be substantiated, it could get you into trouble. Balfour gives an example saying, “‘I love this product’ is fine but ‘it doubled my turnover in a year’ would need to be quantified.”
For employees to be aware of these grey areas, social media training should be given. Research from Liz Lean PR and Socialtech, in response to the regulation extension, found three-quarters of people who had written about their company online had no guidance from their employers regarding what they could and could not write. The survey also revealed that without social media guidelines, businesses are leaving themselves wide open to being penalised by the ASA for their employees’ online activity.
Richard Stephens, MD at agency Directiongroup also lays the responsibility of getting social media right, at the feet of a company’s managers. He says they must “ensure that anyone speaking publicly uses a voice and dialogue acceptable to, and representative of, the company and its brand values.” Sceptical at how easy social media is going to be control, he adds, “It is in this area that the openness and immediacy of social media creates a problem for businesses to control.”
A help or hindrance?
Kevin Taylor, CEO of Gravytrain, thinks the regulations will encourage businesses to lay down stricter rules, something he says is overdue.
“The keys to the corporate Twitter are too often given to the office intern as a small project. This might have worked okay when the medium was tiny, but as take-up increases and regulation takes hold, firms should treat it as seriously as other communications.”
Another consequence of the ASA’s extension is that it will help, rather than hinder, social media to become a standardised marketing tool. Cross feels the extension will help push social media into the mainstream. “This will help marketers to feel more comfortable online as it reinforces its position alongside print, TV, radio etc as a mainstream marketing method.”
In concurrence, Hugh Burkitt, CEO at The Marketing Society, says, “In the early days of social media advertising, the ASA was nervous about regulating what was unknown territory and therefore chose to ignore it. Social media has, however, evolved in a very short time into one of the most influential marketing channels.
“The ASA regulations will help get rid of any ambiguities and bring social media in line with all other advertising.”
The ASA’s extension will no doubt make some marketers nervous but as long as they have a good work ethic they have nothing to fear. It seems the main consequence – social media being treated the same as long standing marketing tools – could be one that is more relevant for some late adopting marketers. The ASA is treating it no differently to offline communications so maybe you shouldn’t either.
Find out more information on how the new ASA regulations affect B2B marketers
