25 years of ensuring the ads you hear on the radio can be trusted

25 years. A lot can happen in 25 years.

2000 saw the opening of the Millennium Dome, Bowie played Glastonbury for the last time and the millennium bug came and went with a whimper. All very well, but Y2K saw an even more remarkable event… On the 31st July 2000, a young whippersnapper with a head full of dreams moved to the Smoke to pursue her ambitions. Yes, that’s right. That’s when I joined the Clearance team.

One might wonder what it is about ad clearance that still makes the days (and years) fly by. Well, the anniversary has prompted some personal reflection, and I’ve concluded that what really motivates me, apart from the wonderful bunch of miscreants I work with, is the variety in our work. You see, every ad we pick up is different. A different creative, a different innovative use of audio and voice, a different product we need to quickly learn all about before we pick up the next ad.

When I started this role, we were part of CRCA (the Commercial Radio Companies Association) until we merged with the RAB (the Radio Advertising Bureau) to form Radiocentre. Scripts were received via the fax machine, processed and stamped with clearance numbers written on each page. Any amendments were made by hand (apologies for my indecipherable handwriting, if you were around back then), before being faxed back to the submitter. Disaster struck on occasion when the fax ran out of toner or one of our rubber stamps broke. Our archive filing system took up a whole floor of our Westbourne Grove offices. These days of course, we operate entirely online with all scripts, evidence and decisions stored permanently. Our clearance portal allows script submitters to easily keep track of their work, and our clients can trust us to securely store their confidential advertiser data. We’re much faster to respond to queries and clearance requests and the number of ads we approve in a month has grown and grown, meaning each Clearance exec now processes nearly as many ads in a month as the whole team considered back in 2000.

The 2005 Gambling Act lifted the prohibition on radio ads for gambling services. In 2007 I approved the very first gambling ads for broadcast radio and I’m proud to say that I can count on one hand the number of ASA rulings against ads we’ve approved in the years since.

We meet with regulators frequently to ensure that we remain informed and up to speed with product innovations such as vapes and CBD products, aesthetic procedures, food supplements and healthcare trends. We’ve at times had to investigate the legal situation around advertising such products before the advertising Codes caught up and we’ve had to modify our policy in line with changes in legislation.

Five years ago, we reacted quickly to the challenges of Covid. We worked from home throughout the various lockdowns to ensure that we got important Government safety and vaccination messages on air promptly. We checked the terms and conditions of Eat Out to Help Out offers, debated whether creative treatments condoned meeting with people and households outside of a “bubble” and became overnight experts in the relative merits of santisers, FFP3 face masks and air filtration equipment. Radio was clearly a trusted and valued friend to listeners, and we worked hard (and still do) to ensure that we deserve that trust.

The introduction of Fast Track clearance enabled us to offer lightning-quick turnaround of urgent campaigns and it’s been a huge success and no doubt a huge relief to those tasked with getting a last-minute reactive ad on air in the blink of an eye.

In more recent times our remit has expanded to include advice on non-broadcast audio ads for use on Radiocentre member streaming and podcast services. We adapted our clearance portal to offer this option when submitters upload their campaigns and we’ve each had to get to grips with an advertising Code that was largely new to us. This service has been well received and now makes up a significant part of our work, allowing us to take a more holistic approach to campaigns we consider.

The wider global impact of climate change means that environmental claims for products and services are not only more common but also under increasing scrutiny from regulators. We work to keep on top of advice and rulings from ASA and to adapt our policy to ensure that we keep getting it right.

What do the coming years hold for us? We’re anticipating AI will have an impact on the ads we approve so we’re working to make sure we’re ready.

It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve been privileged to work both with and for a great many creative, interesting people. I look forward to many more challenging conversations, regulatory changes, new products, new problems and new solutions. I still get a buzz when I hear an ad I’ve worked on and long may that continue.

Katherine works in the Clearance team at Radiocentre to help ensure that radio ad campaigns comply with the BCAP Code. She specialises in the gambling sector, financial services, Government campaigns and ads for cosmetic products. And as you can see, has 25 years of experience.