Last week, the Australian Advertising Standard Bureau ruled that user-generated comments found on a brand’s Facebook page should be subject to the same regulations as conventional marketing and advertising efforts. The decision’s impact could spread beyond Australian shores, however, as advertisers the world over take notice.

Held accountable

The ASB’s ruling follows complaints that the Smirnoff Australia and Victoria Bitter Facebook pages hosted user comments that featured sexism, racism, irresponsible drinking, obscene language and material that linked alcohol consumption with sexual or social prowess. Their decision declared that “the Facebook site of an advertiser is a marketing communication tool over which the advertiser has a reasonable degree of control” and “as a Facebook page can be used to engage with customers” the provisions of the advertising code “applies to content generated by the advertisers as well as material or comments posted by users or friends.”

Potential global impact

Despite the fact that ASB actually dismissed the specific complaints (no action will be taken against either brand), their ruling has been met with a hefty dose of international attention due to the potentially negative impact the decision could have on Facebook’s viability as a marketing platform.

With some US outlets calling it a “landmark ruling”, Tim Worstall at Forbes points out that the Aussie decision could well impact on advertising standards internationally as Common Law jurisdictions often look abroad for precedents when faced with curly new issues.

Local concern

At home the concern for advertisers is more immediate, with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (the body that represents online advertisers in Australia) publicly declaring its worry that the decision could end up hindering social media developments in Australia.

Uncertain outcomes

Since no concrete action has been taken in regards to the specific complaints, it remains to be seen what the decision will really mean for the future of Aussie brands on Facebook. At the very least, however, there are probably some grumpy Community Managers with suddenly expanded workloads this week as Aussie brands reconsider their levels of social media moderation.