Bigdatr launches ad compliance platform for regulators

Bigdatr has launched an advertising compliance platform for Australian regulatory and self-regulatory bodies. The system is designed to review advertising material across multiple sectors.

The Melbourne-based company applies code and standards checks to advertising creative collected through its existing monitoring network. Material flagged as a concern can be handed to a regulator within 12 hours of publication.

Bigdatr is best known for competitor and market analysis in advertising. The new product extends that work into compliance monitoring and consumer protection as regulators deal with a growing volume of material across traditional, digital and social channels.

According to the company, it collects more than 1.2 million pieces of advertising creative each month from about 54,000 brands. The compliance platform reviews that material against industry codes, standards and regulatory requirements, assigning an initial risk rating to each item.

High-risk advertisements are those that may involve a direct or serious code issue. Medium-risk material may need further interpretation or additional context, while low-risk advertisements remain visible in the system without requiring immediate action.

The launch targets sectors that typically attract close scrutiny, including financial services, therapeutic goods, alcohol and gambling, as well as broader issues in consumer protection and advertising standards. The platform can be configured for each regulatory organisation to reflect the codes, sectors, media channels and risk indicators within its remit.

The system can also be expanded beyond those categories across the 75 industries Bigdatr already tracks. Globally, the company says it monitors more than 95,000 brands and provides daily updates and historical records using its own ad-recognition and machine learning tools.

Regulatory pressure

The launch comes against a fragmented advertising market in which regulators often rely on complaints, selective monitoring or retrospective investigations. In sectors such as alcohol, gambling, finance and health-related products, the speed and scale of campaign deployment can make manual review difficult.

Advertising compliance has become harder as brands roll out campaigns across broadcast, online video, social media, display advertising, and other digital formats. That can leave regulators with incomplete visibility of what consumers are seeing and when they are seeing it.

Bigdatr argues that earlier identification of potentially problematic advertising can help agencies focus staff on the material most likely to require intervention. The platform is intended to support, rather than replace, existing complaints and case management processes.

Bernard Brkic, Managing Director of Bigdatr, described the strain facing compliance teams.

"Regulators are telling us that they are drowning under the volume and complexity of advertising creative they need to monitor. While the quantity has exploded in recent years, the tools available to many regulatory bodies have not kept pace. Bigdatr's new platform provides regulators with a much clearer and more comprehensive view of advertising material, allowing their teams to identify potential issues earlier and concentrate their expertise and judgment where it is most valuable," Brkic said.

How it works

Once an advertisement has been assessed, the platform assigns a preliminary risk rating and links that assessment to the relevant code provisions and reasons for review. Regulators can then examine the material directly and decide whether further action is needed.

That process leaves the formal compliance judgment with the regulator. Human oversight remains central, with the platform serving as a filtering and monitoring tool rather than an automated decision-maker.

Brkic said the aim is to improve coverage and evidence for compliance teams.

"We want to give compliance teams a stronger evidence base, better market coverage and a more efficient way to assess vast volumes of commercial material. This new platform complements existing processes for complaints and case management by giving regulators a market-wide view of advertising activity. This helps them identify emerging issues and prioritise them based on severity, scale and potential impact," he said.

He also addressed whether automation might supplant regulatory judgment.

"This is not about technology making regulatory decisions. It's about giving compliance teams a stronger evidence base, better market coverage and a more efficient way to assess large volumes of creative. Human oversight remains central to the process. With better visibility and more targeted assessment, the industry can support both responsible advertising and a healthy creative environment," Brkic said.

Founded in Melbourne in 2012, Bigdatr sells advertising intelligence services to marketers seeking information on competitor spend, investment and creative activity. More than 150 organisations worldwide use its services, according to the company.

The compliance platform is now available to Australian regulatory and self-regulatory organisations, with financial services, therapeutic goods, alcohol and gambling among its initial areas of focus.