AANA today launched AdWatch, dubbed its ‘one-stop web portal’ that offers up real case histories illustrating evolving community standards, particularly around the portrayal of people, language, sex and nudity, violence and health and safety in Australian advertising.

AANA Acting CEO, Alina Bain believes AdWatch will be a key marketing arsenal tool for advertisers in explaining why public complaints have or haven’t been upheld by the ASB, and making for a more streamlined approach to comply with both the code and AANA self-regulatory system.

“This system is underpinned by a concept of community standards which in themselves are not static. AdWatch will go a long way to keeping marketers abreast of community expectations,” she says.

The Codes are platform and technology neutral and apply to all marketing communications. They cover media such as television, radio, newpapers, magazines, store posters, online and social media.

“No matter where you’re advertising or who your audience is, AdWatch will ultimately serve as a learning device for advertisers and become part and parcel of any induction process for new and junior marketers,” admits Bain.

“It’ll be updated monthly to reflect the most current thinking on community standards and to give guidance and understanding to members on changing community values and expectations.”

AdWatch will address each section of the Code of Ethics independently and explain ASB decisions relevant to each section. From here, members will be able to access the most recent learning on the development and application of community standards by viewing the following:

– a summary of the complaint

– a description of the advertisement

– a summary of the ASB decision and

– the learning that arises from that decision.

AdWatch will even include an instructive video presentation by the CEO detailing the machinations of each section of the Code of Ethics.