The Advertising Standards Authority Limited

ASA makes sure advertisers and direct marketers mind their Ps and Qs. The Advertising Standards Authority Limited (ASA) is an independent organization set up by the UK advertising industry to investigate consumer complaints and enforce decency and truth standards in the country's broadcast and non-broadcast advertising, as well as in direct marketing campaigns. The ASA, which receives about 14,000 complaints a year, is funded by levies placed on ad sales. It originally regulated non-broadcast marketing only, but in 2004, it broadened its reach when Ofcom contracted out to the ASA regulation of broadcast advertising.

The ASA is the UK’s independent watchdog committed to maintaining high standards in advertising for the benefit of consumers, advertisers and society at large. The success of the system led to the delegation by Ofcom to the ASA of the responsibility for regulating broadcast (TV and radio) advertising in 2004. This move was approved by Parliament and created a ‘one-stop shop’ for all advertising complaints.