FOCUS - ASIAN ADVERTISING INDUSTRY POLL: Scam ads cause for real concern - Business intelligence brought to you by media magazine and CNBC Asia

<p>A majority of advertising and marketing professionals believe that </p><p>scam ads do damage the credibility of the industry, the latest </p><p>MEDIA-CNBC Asian Advertising Industry Poll has found. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Almost 80 per cent stated that scam ads either somewhat damage or </p><p>seriously damage the credibility of the industry. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But while half of all respondents believed that scam ads could never be </p><p>prevented from making an appearance at awards shows, 79 per cent stated </p><p>they would like to see more discussion on the subject at national and </p><p>regional levels. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Almost one-in-six said there was currently insufficent dialogue and </p><p>debate at the official level and 46 per cent said that efforts by their </p><p>country's 4As to stamp out scam ads were ineffective. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>On whether there were more or less scam ads at awards shows in the </p><p>recent past, the results were inconclusive; 35 per cent ticked the </p><p>'fewer' box, 23 per cent ticked 'more' while 42 per cent chose 'don't </p><p>know'. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The best news was that 73 per cent said that if they found out that a </p><p>scam ad had won an award, they would report the case to the relevant </p><p>judging committee, underlining the fact that most despised </p><p>scamsters. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The MEDIA-CNBC poll comes hard on the heels of a heated debate over the </p><p>effects of scam ads on the advertising industry, both nationally and in </p><p>the Asia-Pacific region. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>