NMA, 10 June 2005

One of the key factors in the rise of the Web is that, with limited regulation, you can get away with more things online than you could offline. Advertising, for example, has often been edgier on the Web than in other media, particularly with its attempts to go viral. But as audiences broaden out and mainstream advertisers increase their online budgets, how much longer will risque advertising be part of the mix?:

“I’m sure at some point there’ll be some regulation,” says DMC’s MD Justin Kirby. “The problem with regulation is that it just drives things underground.”

NMA, 10 June 2005

The ASA is to consider extending its advertising code to viral advertising, a move that could deter mainstream advertisers from running edgier campaigns online. Justin Kirby, co-founder of the Viral and Buzz Marketing Association, questioned whether the regulators could justify extending their remit in this area:

There’s a very big difference between advertising that you have no control over the way it’s presented to you, and something that you’re proactively engaged with and seeking something out.