Enhancing or Inhibiting Advertising's Sustainability: An Overview of Advertising Standards Organisations in Australia

Abstract

The Advertising Standards Board (ASB) and its predecessor, the Advertising Standards Council (ASC), have been responsible for regulating advertising content in Australia since 1974. Research on these bodies has highlighted their respective operations, but it has inadequately investigated their impact on the industry's public image. The completion of the ASB's first decade of operations provides an opportunity to compare the structures and decisions of both organisations and the balance they have struck between the interests of industry and those of the public. In addition, this paper presents new research on public attitudes towards advertising and its regulation. The findings raise questions as to the sustainability of the current approach to self-regulation in Australia.