Österreichischer Werberat

What Österreichischer Werberat does

Österreichischer Werberat (ÖWR), founded in 1974 and headquartered in Vienna, is the recognized self-regulatory body of the Austrian advertising industry. It operates as an independent organ of the parent association 'Gesellschaft zur Selbstkontrolle der Werbewirtschaft' (Society for Self-Regulation of the Advertising Industry), which provides its institutional framework. Its core function is to correct misdevelopments and abuses in advertising for the benefit of both consumers and the industry, applying the Ethik-Kodex (Ethics Code), which incorporates ICC standards, across all advertising measures operating in Austria.

The ÖWR's product portfolio centers on an online complaint management system (Beschwerdesystem) that processes consumer complaints against advertising content, publishes case decisions, and tracks statistics across media types (TV, posters/Citylight, etc.). Supporting services include the pro-Ethik-Siegel certification, awarded to companies and agencies that commit to the ethics code; Pre-Copy-Advice, an advisory service that reviews advertising copy before publication; the #ethicalAD Akademie für Werbeethik, which delivers eLearning and workshops; and publications including the Influencer Marketing Guide (THE PAPER) and annual Consumer Studies. The underlying technology is a standard web-based complaint and certification platform, with no proprietary AI/ML components disclosed.

The business model is nonprofit association-based. Revenue streams consist of industry membership fees paid by Austrian advertisers and agencies, pro-Ethik-Siegel certification licensing fees, and professional-services revenue from paid training through the #ethicalAD Academy. The organization is funded by and serves the Austrian advertising industry, with consumers as a secondary stakeholder group that interacts via the complaint channel. As of 2025 the organization reported its highest decision volume in ten years, with complaints up 18.8% year-over-year, and 51% consumer awareness was recorded in the 4th Consumer Study (2024).

Name

Österreichischer Werberat

Legal name

Verein Gesellschaft zur Selbstkontrolle der Werbewirtschaft

Website

https://werberat.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Österreichischer Werberat is the Austrian advertising industry's self-regulatory body, operating since 1974 as an independent nonprofit that processes consumer complaints, issues the pro-Ethik-Siegel ethics certification, and provides training and advisory services to advertisers, agencies, and influencers in Austria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Industry Self-Regulation

NAICS

Other Services Related to Advertising (541890), Other Services Related to Advertising (54189), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethics, Integrity & Whistleblowing Program Advisory (BPAHAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brand Safety, Fraud Detection & Ad Verification (BPAMALAN)

Keywords

• Advertising self-regulation
• Advertising ethics compliance
• Advertising complaint resolution
• Ethics certification programs
• Influencer marketing standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Industry Membership Fees: The organization is funded by the advertising industry through membership contributions from the Association 'Gesellschaft zur Selbstkontrolle der Werbewirtschaft'. Revenue supports complaint processing, council operations, and ethics programs.
2. Ethics Certification (pro-Ethik-Siegel): Companies and agencies obtain the pro-Ethik-Siegel certification by committing to the Ethics Code. Certification fees contribute to operational funding.
3. Training and Workshop Services: The #ethicalAD Academy provides paid training, workshops and eLearnings on advertising ethics to companies, agencies and influencers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Österreichischer Werberat operates the Austrian advertising industry's self-regulatory framework, offering an online complaint management system (Beschwerdesystem) for reviewing advertising against ethical standards, the pro-Ethik-Siegel certification seal for companies and agencies that commit to the Ethik-Kodex, and a Pre-Copy-Advice advisory service that reviews advertising copy prior to publication. It also delivers the #ethicalAD Akademie für Werbeethik, providing eLearnings, training and workshops on advertising ethics to companies, agencies and influencers operating in Austria.

Product overview

Österreichischer Werberat is an independent self-regulatory organization for the Austrian advertising industry. The core offering is a complaint management system for reviewing advertising against ethical standards, supported by the pro-Ethik-Siegel certification for compliant companies. The portfolio includes advisory services (Pre-Copy-Advice), educational programs (#ethicalAD Academy), and publications (Influencer Marketing Guide, Consumer Studies). The organization maintains the Ethik-Kodex as the foundational ethics framework and publishes complaint statistics and case decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beschwerdesystem (Complaint System) Online complaint submission system allowing consumers to file complaints about advertising measures, with case tracking, published decisions and complaint statistics.
• pro-Ethik-Siegel (Pro Ethics Seal) Certification seal awarded to companies and agencies that commit to the Ethik-Kodex of Austrian advertising, demonstrating responsible advertising practices beyond legal requirements.
• Pre-Copy-Advice Advisory service providing guidance on advertising copy before publication to ensure compliance with ethics guidelines.
• Ethik-Kodex (Ethics Code) Comprehensive ethical guidelines for the Austrian advertising industry, including appendices and ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) standards.
• THE PAPER - Influencer Marketing Guide Comprehensive practical guide for content creators, agencies and brands on influencer marketing standards and self-regulation in Austria.
• #ethicalAD Akademie für Werbeethik Academy for Advertising Ethics offering eLearnings, trainings, and workshops on ethical advertising standards.
• Konsumentenstudie (Consumer Study) Annual consumer research study measuring advertising awareness, consumer attitudes and industry trust metrics.
• Dos and Don'ts Clear guidelines and examples of acceptable and unacceptable advertising practices under the ethics code.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gesellschaft zur Selbstkontrolle der WerbewirtschaftcoreOthersParent association that houses the Österreichischer Werberat as its independent operational body. The association 'Society for Self-Regulation of the Advertising Industry' provides the institutional framework for the self-regulatory function. ZVR Number: 693792629.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA): The pan-European umbrella organization coordinating cross-border complaint handling and best-practice exchange between national self-regulatory bodies, of which the Werberat is a member.
• ARPP – France: France's advertising self-regulatory authority, operating a structurally similar ethics code, complaint system, and advisory service for the French advertising industry.
• Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – UK: The UK's long-established advertising self-regulator, running a comparable complaint system, Codes of Advertising Practice, and pre-publication advice service at significantly larger scale.
• Ad Standards – Canada: Canada's national advertising self-regulatory body, providing comparable complaint resolution, code of ethics, and pre-clearance services to advertisers and agencies.

Direct peers

• Deutscher Werberat: Germany's parallel self-regulatory body for advertising ethics, operating an analogous complaint system, ethics code, and seal-based certification for the German advertising market.
• Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI): Ireland's self-regulatory advertising body with a comparable complaint framework, code of standards, and advisory offering tailored to a similarly-sized national market.
• Stichting Reclame Code (Netherlands): Dutch self-regulatory advertising foundation running a complaint board and code of conduct structurally similar to the Austrian Werberat's model.
• Schweizer Werberat: The Swiss advertising self-regulatory council providing the closest structural analog to the Österreichischer Werberat, including complaint handling and ethics code enforcement for the Swiss market.

Others

• ICC – International Chamber of Commerce (Advertising and Marketing Code): The ICC provides the international framework code on advertising and marketing communications that underpins many national self-regulatory systems, including the Werberat's own Ethik-Kodex reference.

Regional players

• Instituto Nacional de Estatística – Auto-Regulação Publicitária (ARP): Portugal's advertising self-regulatory body operating a complaint and ethics framework analogous to the Werberat's, relevant as another small-market European self-regulatory counterpart.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Österreichischer Werberat