Hasta La Creative!

Signs that youtube has turned into a media channel: “Advertising claims made in videos on YouTube are subject to the same standards of truth and accuracy as ads that appear in traditional media, according to a US advertising watchdog”. The ASA doesn’t hold youtube up to the same standard as other advertising media… yet. But that may change soon. from Out-Law:

ASA spokesman Matt Wilson told OUT-LAW: “If [an advert] was appearing on YouTube and was not pushed elsewhere, it might not be covered. If it’s on YouTube it’s not in paid-for space.”

“Adverts on YouTube or on a company’s own websites are not in our remit,” he said. “For example, Tesco could say something on their website [that breaches the CAP Code] and we can’t do anything about that, but the same statement on a billboard is within our remit.”

Wilson said the position only changes if a company ‘pushes’ the video, such as by email, or encourages users to ‘pull’ the video from their own website, for example by making it easy for users to download the clip and circulate it among friends.

UK industry body the Advertising Association set up a committee to review the remit of the ASA earlier this year. Its Digital Media Group was convened to put forward proposals for future-proofing the industry’s self-regulation of advertising on digital media and its report is expected in 2009. A spokesman for the DMG said that the group expects to make recommendations “within the course of 2009.”

Please note that the assumption “If it’s on YouTube it’s not in paid-for space” is not always true, now that companies can buy channels on youtube.

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