The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) announced today that Facebook has formally joined the system that funds the operation of the advertising self-regulatory system that includes the operations of Ad Standards.

John Broome, the AANA’s CEO, said Facebook’s decision is an important milestone in the evolution of the self-regulatory system.

“When the AANA set-up the self-regulatory system over twenty years ago, virtually all advertising was in traditional media and made via media buying agencies. Advertisers supporting the self-regulatory system voluntarily pay a small levy on their media spend that is collected on their behalf by members of the Media Federation of Australia.

“However, in recent years there has been a growing trend for advertisers to pay major publishers and digital platforms directly, with the unintended consequence of effectively bypassing the current collection mechanism. At the same time, the increasing migration to digital has led to much more advertising content and hence a greater workload for Ad Standards. So, Facebook’s move to directly fund the self-regulatory system will help underpin its future financial sustainability,” Broome said.

Will Easton, Facebook Australia and New Zealand’s managing director and vice president said a fully functioning advertising self-regulatory system was in the interests of all parties.

“Australia’s self-regulatory system provides the public with a highly efficient and effective complaints handling service that is one hundred percent funded by industry. We are committed to ensuring that we play an appropriate role in ensuring its funding now and in the future,” Easton said.

The AANA said that self-regulation would now be funded by the combination of the levy system, operated by the MFA on advertisers’ behalf, and direct funding from digital publishers and major media outlets.

“We are in discussions with the other major digital platforms and media players to achieve a sustainable and equitable funding arrangement. I am pleased to say that those discussions are progressing very well, and I am confident that we will continue to evolve our funding model so that we maintain a world class self-regulatory system that meets the Australian community’s expectations,” Broome said.