The Advertising Standards Board of Finance Limited (asbof) was set up in 1975, following the advertising industry agreeing to self-regulation and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) being created.
Asbof is an independent body, founded to handle the ASA’s funding – ensuring the ASA’s operational independence and impartiality.
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The UK’s leading advertising industry bodies instigate self-regulation, and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is created
Asbof is formed (in order to fund the ASA, via the levy scheme), as a separate company, ensuring the ASA’s operational independence
Asbof starts to collect the Mailing Standards levy. This levy funds the self-regulation of direct mail, including the work of the Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
Display advertising on the internet is brought within the scope of the CAP Code and also, therefore, the levy
Website marketing communications, paid search and affiliate marketing spend are added to the CAP code and the levy collection scheme
Contact us to find out how your company can support self-regulation, and pay the levy
To view the ASA's latest cases and adjudications, and understand the issues in advertising right now, please visit their site, or follow their Twitter feed.
The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free service for the public (funded by the direct mail industry), to enable them to have their names and home addresses in the UK removed from lists used by the industry. It is actively supported by Royal Mail – and all directly involved trade associations – and is fully supported by The Information Commissioners Office (ICO). It is funded by the Mailing Standards levy, which is charged at £2 per £1,000 on the cost of postage, and is collected – in the main – by Royal Mail, included on its postage mailing invoices.
