Morning, Monday, 23rd June 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for policy, regulation, and market development for online advertising in the UK.
There will be a focus on immediate issues facing the sector, including developments in policy, regulation and the commercial environment - as well as longer-term issues around the role of UK advertising in the wider economy.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss priorities arising from the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, the Online Safety Act, and anticipated provisions of the Data (Use and Access) Bill. Attendees will consider implications of the CMA’s Strategic Market Status investigation into search and advertising systems, and assess latest thinking on considerations for promoting fair competition, addressing market dominance, and supporting innovation, particularly as AI increasingly underpins technology deployed by the sector. Further discussion is expected on implications of competition issues for objectives such as strengthening the UK’s digital economy and supporting growth of the UK’s online advertising sector.
Delegates will also examine the evolving regulatory landscape, and cooperative relationships between regulators and government departments and industry-led bodies such as the Online Advertising Taskforce. Sessions will explore how regulatory roles and resources might best be coordinated to address emerging challenges, including the implementation of the Online Safety Act’s illegal harms duties and new rules on drip pricing, fake reviews, and influencer marketing. Priorities for regulatory reform in protecting consumer interests, alongside enabling responsible market growth will be discussed, while aligning aims of the range of policy initiatives involved.
Sessions will bring out practical considerations and stakeholder perspectives on the consultations on the Advertising Codes, work to address subscription traps and scam ads, and preparations for the upcoming ban on unhealthy food advertising to children. Attendees will assess outstanding issues as sector stakeholders prepare to implement these changes, as well as best practice in areas such as influencer marketing and online tracking. We expect discussion on the ICO’s proposed guidance on consent or pay models and its wider work on online privacy, including implications for data-driven advertising and the sustainability of advertising-funded services.
The agenda will also look ahead to the longer-term development of AI in advertising and developments that may be required in UK and international regulation to keep pace with innovation. Sessions will also consider the future for addressing longstanding challenges in areas such as transparency, consumer protection, and the effective governance of digital markets, while supporting the continued growth and international competitiveness of the UK’s advertising industry.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- policy and regulation:
- implementation, cooperation and coordination priorities - the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, Online Safety Act, and Data (Use and Access) Bill
- competition:
- the CMA’s Strategic Market Status investigation - key issues for market dominance, innovation, and implications for publishers and advertisers
- potential impact of proposed conduct requirements - implications for competition from growing use of AI in search and advertising models
- AI and regulation:
- governance and risk management frameworks - supporting innovation, competition, and consumer protection
- implications of international regulatory developments for the UK approach to AI in advertising
- consumer protection:
- proposed changes to the Advertising Codes - potential implications for tackling fake reviews, drip pricing, and misleading advertising
- coordination with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act and wider policy
- online safety:
- the Online Safety Act illegal harms duties in the context of advertising - addressing implementation challenges for platforms and advertisers
- roles and responsibilities of industry stakeholders - assessing initiatives such as scam ad alert systems
- data protection and privacy:
- examining the approach proposed by the ICO to consent or pay models - implications for the future for online advertising practices
- priorities and key considerations for user privacy, consumer choice, and ad-funded business models
- influencer marketing:
- assessing progress on standards - the Online Advertising Taskforce Code of Conduct
- wider implications for transparency and consumer protection in non-traditional advertising formats - looking ahead to issues and challenges related to emerging formats
- age-restricted and harmful advertising:
- implementation of restrictions on affected food and drink products - latest approaches to practical issues for age assurance
- enforcement challenges and wider impacts on online advertising practices
- industry standards:
- assessing the effectiveness of existing initiatives, such as the IAB Gold Standard and Intermediary and Platform Principles
- strengthening information-sharing and accountability - the future role of self-regulation
- growth and innovation:
- what is needed from regulatory frameworks to effectively support the global competitiveness of the UK advertising industry - addressing skills and capacity needs
- principles and best practice for aligning competition and consumer protection objectives with responsible sector growth
