Self-regulation in the advertising sector is the recognition that the advertising industry (advertisers, agencies and the media) create advertising that complies to a set of ethical rules, namely that it should be

• legal
• decent
• honest 
• truthful
• prepared with a sense of social responsibility to the consumer as well as society as a whole 
• created with due respect to the rules of fair competition. 

These ethical rules are usually drawn up in the form of a code and the ICC code very often forms the basis of the national codes.

 Why does advertising need to be self-regulated?

 What are the benefits of self-regulation?

 How is self-regulation achieved & who applies the self-regulation rules?

 What self-regulation exists across Europe?