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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has updated its complaint handling procedures, following a review aimed at modernising, simplifying and strengthening the way complaints are managed. While the ASA describes many of the changes as formalising existing practice, the updates are worth noting: they introduce clearer expectations around evidence, transparency and review requests, and could affect how quickly advertisers need to respond when a complaint lands.
What is changing?
The revised procedures, which apply to both broadcast and non-broadcast complaints, include the following points for advertisers to have on their radar:
- More transparency around complainants: the ASA has clarified when complainants with a clear interest in the outcome, or a relevant public profile, may need to disclose their identity or expertise. In some cases, they may also be named in the final ruling.
- Less room for late evidence: the ASA has underlined that it may refuse evidence submitted late in an investigation unless the party can show it could not reasonably have been provided earlier.
- Earlier signals from the regulator: the ASA may now indicate in its initial correspondence whether, based on the information available at that stage, it is likely to uphold a complaint.
- A tighter deadline for suspending rulings: requests to suspend publication of a ruling pending an Independent Review must now be submitted by 12pm on the Thursday before publication.
- A new filter for Independent Reviews: even where the formal threshold for review is met, the Independent Reviewer can decline to proceed if they consider the outcome would not be materially different.
- A glossary for easier navigation: the ASA has introduced a glossary of terms for the first time, aimed at improving clarity and accessibility.
Why this matters: these are procedural rather than substantive changes, but they may still have practical consequences. Advertisers should be ready to move quickly when engaging with the ASA: gathering evidence early, escalating correspondence promptly, and deciding in good time whether to seek a review or suspension of publication. In practice, the changes reinforce the importance of having a clear internal process for responding to ASA complaints before deadlines become critical.
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