Trust in advertising rises following ASA campaign

The AA’s Trust Working Group found those who saw or heard the ASA’s ads were more than 80% more likely to trust the advertising industry and 50% more likely to trust most adverts compared with those who had not seen the campaign.

The findings also showed that when asked about trust in adverts by a media channel, there were higher levels of trust across all media.

For example, trust in online adverts jumped from 16% to 32% while trust in television advertisements rose from 36% to 51%.

The campaign was developed by the ASA in partnership with the AA’s Trust Working Group, with creative from The Leith Agency and media planning by EssenceMediacom.

Businesses and brands including Tesco, Marmite, IRN-BRU, Lloyds, and Churchill featured in the campaign, which ran on TV, print, online, cinema and out-of-home.

The AAS Trust Working Group is chaired by the director generals of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, Paul Bainsfair and Phil Smith.

Guy Parker, chief executive at the ASA, said: “We’re delighted with the impact of our now UK-wide ad campaign.

“Trust in the ASA is significantly higher following the campaign, driven by those who saw or heard our ads. And promoting trust in the ASA boosts trust in both the ad industry and ads.

“That’s why we plan to continue the campaign, partnering with other brands along the way.”