ISBA and Asbof have today brought together industry professionals and representatives from government and trade bodies to launch the 'Proud to Support the ASA' campaign - and to call upon brands to use this moment to ensure that the advertising regulator survives and thrives.
Baroness Morgan of Cotes, Chair of the ASA; Simon Michaelides, Director General of ISBA; Mark Lund OBE, Chair of Asbof; and Stephen Woodford, CEO of the Advertising Association, backed the campaign this morning, alongside a panel of senior marketers from Royal Mail, TUI and Nationwide Building Society.
UK advertising self-regulation is a global success story. The Advertising Standards Authority regulates £50bn of UK adspend, 35% of all advertising in Europe, and in 2025 handled 37,284 complaints about ads, over two thirds of all ad complaints across Europe. Trust in UK advertising is at a five-year high, and research by Credos, the industry think tank, identifies public knowledge of the ASA as the single biggest driver of that trust.
But the way the ASA is funded hasn’t kept pace. Its 0.1% levy is collected through media agencies, whose share of UK ad expenditure has fallen from half in 2016 to around 26% this year; as more spend goes direct to the platforms or in-house, over 70% of UK adspend no longer contributes to the ASA system.
The one simple change brands can make will help to revise the funding model for the modern era. If an organisation buys significant amounts of advertising direct or in-house, they can tell Asbof and make a direct contribution in place of what may have previously been paid through a media agency. No new money is being sought, and the ASA’s budget stays flat to 2030.
Simon Michaelides, Director General of ISBA, said:
"From the advertiser’s perspective, and from ISBA’s, there’s a very clear interest in solving this challenge.
"If we want the people who make and implement the rules of the game to continue to have confidence in ad regulation – and if we want consumers and the public to continue to have confidence, too – then the system simply must remain robust, independent and properly funded.
"We’re in a time when government is taking a close interest in online advertising, in platform accountability, in influencer marketing, in AI. With all of that in the mix, the success of our self-regulatory model shouldn’t be taken for granted – and it’s our belief at ISBA that brands must play their part."
We’re pleased to share our infographic from the morning. It covers:
- Why the ASA is one of the most respected, efficient and productive regulators in the world
- How the ASA is funded, and how the levy has adapted since its introduction
- The shrinking media agency share of ad spend, and the funding gap it has opened
- What we’re asking major advertisers to do
Find out how to contribute at: Supporting Trust in Advertising - Asbof
You can view the infographic below.