The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (abbreviated ASA) was an independent entity organised and financed by members of the marketing communications industry of South Africa. Its purpose was to manage South Africa's voluntary, self-regulating system of advertising. The ASA worked with a variety of marketing communication industry stakeholders to ensure that advertising content in the country met the requirements of its
Code of Advertising Practice and to control advertising content in the
South African public's interest.
The ASA of South Africa's Code of Advertising Practice was based on the
Consolidated ICC Code of Marketing and Advertising Communication Practice prepared by the
International Chamber of Commerce
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its over 45 million members in over 100 countries have interests spanning every s ...
. Member organisations, including advertisers, advertising agencies, and the media agreed upon advertising standards in the ASA code and worked to effect the swift correction or removal of any advertising that failed to meet their agreed-upon standards.
[
Member organisations include:][
* Association for Communication and Advertising
* Association of Collective Investments (ACI)
* Cinemark (Pty) Ltd
* Cosmetic Toiletry & Fragrance Association of South Africa
* Furniture Traders' Association of South Africa
* Health Products Association of Southern Africa
* Hospital Association of South Africa
* Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use
* National Association of Broadcasters of South Africa
* Out of Home Media
* Pet Food Institute of Southern Africa, The
* Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association of South Africa
* Print Media SA
* Printing Industries Federation of South Africa
* Retail Motor Industry Organisation
* South African Optometric Association
* Timeshare Institute of Southern Africa
]
Notable rulings
* In 2008 ASA ruled that a television advertisement by GloMobile featuring Jeff Dunham
Jeffrey Douglas Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Comedy Central Presents'', ''The Tonigh ...
's character Achmed the Dead Terrorist
Jeffrey Douglas Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including '' Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Comedy Central Presents'', ''The Toni ...
was offensive to Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
and ordered GloMobile to withdraw the advertisement.
References
External links
Official website
Code of Practice
{{Authority control
Consumer organisations in South Africa
Mass media complaints authorities
Advertising in South Africa
Self-regulatory organizations of the advertising industry
Regulation in South Africa