Don’t knock self-regulation

Why contribute to the constant sniping at the ASA (MW August 27)? Any marketer with a sense of reality will know that supporting self-regulation is the only way to ensure a positive and unrestricted future.

I have had many dealings with the ASA and I do not agree that the Authority is “failing… members of the public”. I once made a complaint myself and found that the matter was dealt with in an exemplary fashion and the customer-care service skills your article claims are absent.

The ASA is not a police force. It is simply giving the best practice guidance according to the self-regulatory code of practice drawn up by representatives of the marketing industry itself (CAP).

If companies want self-regulation to continue in the UK, stop knocking the ASA and support one of the most enlightened systems in Europe. It may not be perfect, but it’s better than the alternative.

Charles Ford

Editorial director

Avenue Publications

Hove

Sussex