Commercials: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Commercials: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Civil rights and interests groups, various organizations, and the US government, primarily control the subject matter and messages of television advertisements in the United States. There is unwritten self-regulation between the enforcers, advertising agencies, and their company sponsors that states all parties involved must follow the guidelines set forth by the government in order to advertise their product on free network television. Independent and privately owned companies, such as cable or satellite broadcasters, are able to adopt their own policies which they uses to regulate advertising content on their networks. Viewers are the people who decide whether a commercial is controversial, where as the regulators decide if the claim of controversy is warranted.

“Admired from around the world for its creativity, the UK advertising industry sets the standard in successful self-regulation” (Welcome to the Committee of Advertising Practice, n.d. p. 1). The advertising industry is governed by codes designed to protect consumers and create a level playing field for advertisers’ worldwide. The Advertising Standards Authority, an administrative agency of the Federal Trade Commission, is the independent body set up by the advertising industry to police the rules of advertising codes. The ASA adopted the standards practiced in the United Kingdom and is in partnership with the UK’s Office of Communication known as Ofcom. Based out of London, Ofcom was assembled to write and enforce the codes of practice that govern television and radio advertising. The strength of the self-regulatory system lies in both the independence of the ASA and the support and commitment of the advertising industry (About Ofcom, n.d.). The Communications Act 2003 requires that Ofcom and ASA set, and from time to time, review and revise, codes containing standards for the content of television and radio services licensed under the...