In late August, China's state legislature announced it would tighten rules on advertising in the mainland to provide added consumer protection. According to a draft revision of the advertising law, celebrities would no longer be allowed to promote products and services that they had not tried, and any who did so could be fined or even face legal liability.
The popularity of mobile devices in Asia makes it even more urgent to maintain a clear line between editorial and commercial content. While the draft regulation on celebrity endorsement is a step in the right direction, another form of advertising that is gaining ground and which needs to be examined by regulators in Asia is native advertising.
