Self-regulation

Ad Standards

Do you have concerns about an ad currently being broadcasted in Canadian media? You can make a complaint via Ad Standards. The procedure for processing complaints was implemented more than 40 years ago by the Canadian advertising industry and is an efficient way to make your voice heard.   Ad Standards processes and responds to all complaints received on its website and through regular mail by referring to the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards which has set the criteria for acceptable advertising in Canada. These standards were created by the industry in 1963 in order to promote the professional and responsible practice of advertising and make sure it is truthful, fair, and accurate. The standards are regularly updated to ensure they keep pace with consumer and societal expectations.   To find out more, visit Ad Standards’s website.

AdChoices

This Canadian self-regulatory program for online behavioural advertising was designed to give consumers a better understanding of, as well as greater control over, the ads displayed to them based on their online interests.   AdChoices was created by the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC), which is made up of the following seven associations in the marketing and communications industry:    
  • Association of Creative Communications Agency (A2C)
  • The Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA)
  • The Canadian Marketing Association (AMA)
  • Canadian Media Directors’ Council (CMDC)
  • IAB Canada (IAB)
  • Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA)

How the program works

The AdChoices icon appears near an advertisement when an information is collected or used to promote online behavioural advertising (OBA). The user can then click on the symbol to find out about the company who is collecting or using the data, a description of how the company collects data, and a link to the consumer opt-out page.   The opt-out process allows someone who does not want to see OBA to be excluded from profiling and targeting by selected participating companies. The selected companies must then use opt-out cookies to identify the user and no longer show them OBA. Please note that this will not prevent data from being collected for purposes other than OBA, nor will it prevent the display of ads not related to OBA, such as contextual or content-based advertising.   To find out more, visit the AdChoices website.

Quebec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image (CHIC)

The A2C, as well as the fashion, media, and retail industries and health organizations, took part in drafting the Quebec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image, an initiative that has been supported by the government of Quebec and Minister Christine St-Pierre in 2009.   The document is a collective pledge to a societal project that embraces body diversity, which is exemplified by a more realistic depiction of people in the media. The initiative also encourages media companies to broadcast images of individuals of all ages, heights, sizes, and cultural backgrounds.   Those who sign the chart recognize that beauty standards based on extreme thinness can lower the self-esteem of those who view these images, especially girls and women.   The A2C invites its members and partners to support the movement and sign the Charter.

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