What is advertising self-regulation?

It is the recognition of the advertising industry (i.e. advertisers, agencies and the media) that advertising should be legal, decent, honest and truthful, with a sense of social responsibility to the consumer and society as a whole, and with due respect to the rules  of fair competition.

This is achieved through the establishment of a set of rules and principles of best practicewhich the advertising industry voluntarily agrees to conform with. The aim is to keep advertising standards high and ensure consumer trust to the benefit of all.

Self-regulation works best when framework legislation sets and enforces the boundaries of what is unlawful. Likewise, the law operates to best effect when it tackles issues of broad principle.  Advertising is often detailed and subjective in its claims and interpretation. Controls imposed upon it must be equally flexible.  Self Regulation Organisations deal with a volume of work each year that, if disputed in court, would be both prohibitively expensive and unacceptably slow to resolve. The law and self-regulation working independently but in harmony provide the swiftest and most comprehensive protection for consumers.

Self-regulation: our commitment to responsibility

Advertisers are active and enthusiastic supporters of strong advertising self-regulation which meets the expectations of consumers, regulators, and society at large.

WFA was born from advertisers' conscience of their duties to society, and is the global standard bearer for self-regulation.

WFA was also instrumental in re-structuring The European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA). EASA brings together national advertising self-regulatory organisations and the wider advertising industry in Europe. Its mission is to promote responsible advertising through best practice in self-regulation across the European Single Market for the benefit of consumers and business. It is the single authoritative voice on European Advertising self-regulation. More information can be found on their website (http://www.easa-alliance.org).

The ICC codes

Most of the Self Regulation Organisations around the world base their work on the Codes prepared and published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The ICC is the world business organization, the only representative body that speaks with authority on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every part of the world.

ICC promotes an open international trade and investment system and the market economy. Its conviction that trade is a powerful force for peace and prosperity dates from the organization's origins early in the last century. The small group of far-sighted business leaders who founded ICC called themselves "the merchants of peace".

Because its member companies and associations are themselves engaged in international business, ICC has unrivalled authority in making rules that govern the conduct of business across borders.

Although these rules are voluntary, they are observed in countless thousands of transactions every day and have become part of the fabric of international trade.

ICC was founded in 1919. Today it groups thousands of member companies and associations from over 130 countries. National committees in the world's major capitals coordinate with their membership to address the concerns of the business community and to convey to their governments the busines views formulated by ICC.

The ICC Commission on Marketing, Advertising and Distribution promotes high standards of ethics in marketing by business self-regulation through a series of international marketing codes and guidelines.  The codes are updated whenever necessary to adapt to the changing business, social and political environment.

It also encourages the harmonization of international marketing practices in the private sector and defines standards for new media.

For more information please consult our country-by-country database.