“As the nature of advertising changes, so must the way we regulate ourselves. Wherever it appears, it is vital that people are confident that advertising is legal, decent, honest and truthful. This new remit, agreed and supported across the industry, will ensure those standards are met on-line, just as they are elsewhere.”

“Nothing should be further from the truth. Great marketing does great things for people and for businesses. We need to stop being so defensive and start celebrating marketing’s role.”

“It is true that airbrushing has risen up the agenda in recent months and, while there remains little evidence in the debate, the industry, through the Advertising Association, is always open to meeting those with concerns. For our part we continue to monitor the debate and will be working to review more recent developments - we would encourage any marketer with an interest in shaping the industry’s response to get in touch.”

“These rules have been tough for industry but have been implemented in the right spirit and we welcome the decision that more restrictions and reviews are now off the agenda. Ofcom’s findings are based on evidence that television has a relatively modest impact on children’s food preferences – a fact ignored by those wanting to limit choice with further bans which would be disproportionate and damaging.”

Ofcom’s full review is available here 

The report provides the most comprehensive measure of UK advertising activity – encompassing print, TV, digital, cinema and out of home – and expects TV to outperform online, which should grow by 7.7%.

It also predicts overall market growth of 3.3% in 2010, up from the previous forecast of 2.3%. Total adspend is now expected to reach £14.98bn in 2010, an increase of £0.5bn from 2009.

Supporting the industry statement, the AA said that:

“Advertisers use cookies to make the internet more relevant, and media owners rely on them to build viable ad revenues online. For consumers, cookies personalise their use of the internet, allowing them to find the information, products and services they need.”

The aim of Defra’s guidance is “to ensure that in marketing and advertising goods and services, industry has up-to-date and relevant information to enable it to make clear and accurate environmental claims”. 

In this submission the AA points out that ‘green claims’ in advertising are still largely infrequent, and the level of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) remains low. Advertiser compliance is high.

The AA notes that there is no value to the consumer for mandatory information in advertisements. The AA repeats its call for an official glossary of key environmental terms to be published by the Government.

We absolutely support the OFT’s vision of an industry-wide, transparent system of self-regulation that works for the consumer. We will be working with all sides of the industry including ISBA, the IPA and the IAB, to ensure that self-regulation in this area meets the standards set elsewhere by the Advertising Standards Authority. That way we will realise the benefits – to consumers and to industry – of OBA, while addressing any potential concerns.

Karen Fraser and Ged Glover join the AA in June. Karen will lead the AA’s new research capability, while Ged joins as Commercial Director. The news follows Ian Barber’s appointment in April as Director of Communications to lead a new Industry Affairs team alongside Sue Eustace, Director of Public Affairs.