Although there is not any one specific law or piece of legislation that encompasses all aspects of advertising, there are codified pieces of legislation and frame wares. these include the Pakistan Advertising Association ‘s (PAA) code of ethics , the codes of ethics of PTV (Pakistan Television) and PBC (Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation), APNS (All Pakistan Newspapers Society) has also laid out a pet of criterions a for the accreditation of agencies and , like the different code of ethics , also deals with regulating the content of advertising.
The advertising codes, although generate broad and comprehensive in nature; have suffered from a lack of effective implementation and a new specific focus. The PAA’s code deals, in the main, with the procedural operation of agencies, such as commission, fair competition and content.
PTV ‘s code of ethics covers all aspect of content , from disallowing Subliminal and political advertising to assuming that ads do not lower the moral of the viewer’s and no advertisement should go against good taste or decency or be offensive to public feelings .
Other more specific legislation includes how men and women should interact in a commercial and the cultural and moral modes that must be adhered to, including advertising with children, tobacco advertising, advertising of medicine etc.
The majority of codes with respect to content are based on widely accepted concepts of social and moral decency. The occasionally vague and non specific nature of the regulations has often led to problems, where specific parties or social groupings take it upon themselves to exclude what is moral and what is not.
There is still a need for specific legislation covering all aspects of advertising, from content to procedural operations from competition to accountability to ensure the industry continues to evolve and thrive.
