Advertising Standards Board

The past 12 months has certainly been a dynamic time for the Advertising Standards Board – 2012/13 saw the Board having to make determinations in the relatively unchartered waters of social media, ‘sexting’, Gen Y acronyms and iPhone Apps! Leading up to this period, the ASB commissioned a report by Colmar Brunton which found that as compared to 2007 the community had become more conservative in relation to strong language, sex, sexuality and nudity – especially in relation to images/language available to children. Conversely, the report found that the community had become less conservative in relation to issues relating to health and safety and violence/discrimination, particularly in cases of humorous racial or religious references. This alert will take you through the key themes of 2012/2013.