What Are The Highlights Of The ASA's Mid-year Progress Report?

The Advertising Association's 2025 Advertising Pays report found that advertising and marketing industries contributed £109 billion of GVA (gross value added) to the UK economy in 2024, and that advertising supports more than 1.7 million jobs, making up 5% of all UK employment.

Against this background, the ASA has published its mid-year progress report and objectives for 2026. It says that it will make sure that its regulation and enforcement are proportionate and effective, with the aim of supporting a level playing field among businesses, and contributing to the UK government's desired pro-growth regulatory framework. It also welcomes the government's Creative Industries Sector Plan which, among other things, aims to support the advertising industry to thrive.

What are the highlights of the ASA's performance from January through June 2025?

The first part of the report is a look back at the ASA's performance during H1 2025 by comparison with their targets. This section is packed with statistics, but here are a few that caught our eye.

• The ASA is working on several proactive regulatory projects, including ongoing ones for:
  • Climate Change and the Environment project (airlines, travel agents, fast fashion, greener homes etc.)
  • Weight-loss Prescription Only Medicines (POM's)
  • Finance
  • Alcohol Sector Monitoring
  • Cosmetic Surgery Abroad
  • Influencer Disclosure
  • Liquid BBLs (we looked it up so you don't have to: 'Brazilian Butt Lift')
  • Healthcare/Wellbeing Ads Online
• The target for casework volume, turnaround and productivity was to publish 275–325 rulings, following formal investigation. The report says that 112 formal adjudications had been published by the end of H1, so they are "off-track". We assume that the 275-325 target is for the whole year, but even so, with only 112 by the end of H1, it seems unlikely that the annual target will be met. At the start of H2, they appear to have been about 20% behind target, so they are unlikely to even match the 280 published rulings for calendar year 2024. Although they have met their target of 10 "high priority issues" through proactive cases/rulings, it is not clear exactly how the ASA determines which cases are high priority.

What are the ASA's objectives for 2026?

While the first part of the report is backward-looking, the second part looks forward to 2026 and sets out the ASA's objectives for the next calendar year. So what are those objectives?

1. To act on research and intelligence, as well as implementing the Less Healthy Food ad restrictions with a view to protecting vulnerable people from irresponsible advertising.
2. To make progress on climate change and environmental claims, especially regarding ad claims for carbon neutrality and net-zero, greener homes, fast fashion, transport and travel, energy, green disposal and meat, dairy and plant-based alternatives.
3. To deliver proactive regulatory projects using its Active Ad Monitoring system and reporting about its proactive and preventative work.
4. To work to identify and remove obviously irresponsible ads more quickly by refining its non-broadcast compliance procedures.
5. To continue the roll-out of the Intermediary and Platform Principles self-regulatory framework, involving social media and demand-side platforms supporting the ASA to uphold responsible advertising online.
6. To ensure the ASA system's voice is heard on relevant policy issues and legislation and ensure that its Scam Ad Alert system continues to operate effectively.
7. To continue the implementation of its Awareness Strategy, prioritising raising public awareness of the ASA.
8. To promote advice and training services to industry.
9. To support Asbof and Basbof in making the ASA's funding sustainable by continuing to make the case for collective ad regulation to the ad industry and working with Asbof to deliver new channels of funding.
10. To implement its people and EDI strategies, including improving the geographic diversity of its workforce and reviewing its talent initiatives.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.