What Stichting Reclame Code does

Stichting Reclame Code (SRC) is the Dutch advertising industry's self-regulatory body, established in 1963 and headquartered in Amsterdam. Its statutory mandate under the Dutch Media Act (Mediawet) makes it the designated self-regulator for media institutions and (since regulatory expansion in 2022 and 2025) for video-uploaders operating in the Netherlands. The organization maintains the Nederlandse Reclame Code (Dutch Advertising Code), adjudicates complaints through the Reclame Code Commissie (RCC) and the College van Beroep (CvB) on appeal, and runs a Compliance Afdeling for follow-through enforcement.

Its product surface comprises the Advertising Code itself; a public uitspraken database of decisions (online since 2012); the Copy Advies pre-clearance service priced at EUR 500 per concept; training programs; the Influencer Monitor, an automated social-media surveillance tool that applies keyword, image, and video filters; and a mandatory video-uploader registration system. Industry contributions, set at 0.025% of gross media spend under written governance rules, anchor the funding base, supplemented by annual affiliation fees from media institutions, Copy Advies fees, monitoring/analysis charges, and training income. SRC is governed by the Platform van Deelnemers, which brings advertisers, agencies, media owners, and publishers into a single funding and policy structure, and operates within the international EASA and ICAS self-regulatory networks.

SRC competes against alternative adjudication routes (Dutch civil courts, consumer-protection authorities, EU-level regulation) primarily by offering lower-cost, faster, specialist industry-led adjudication with published precedent. The commercial position is unusual: competition is largely jurisdictional rather than market-share-based, so durability is anchored in statute, industry buy-in, and integration with global self-regulatory infrastructure (EASA, ICAS) and global platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Meta).

Name

Stichting Reclame Code

Legal name

Stichting Reclame Code

Website

https://reclamecode.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stichting Reclame Code is the Dutch advertising industry's self-regulatory body, administering the Nederlandse Reclame Code, adjudicating complaints via the RCC and CvB, and providing pre-clearance, training, and Influencer Monitor services to advertisers, agencies, media, and video-uploaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Self-Regulation

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (BPAEAPAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance Technology, GRC Platforms & Controls Automation Advisory (BPAHAFAO), Risk, Controls & Governance (GRC) Platforms (FSAFAOAG), News & Media Comment/UGC Moderation (Comments, uploads, livestreams) (BPAAALAJ)

Keywords

• Advertising self-regulation
• Advertising standards enforcement
• Advertising complaint adjudication
• Influencer marketing compliance
• Advertising compliance monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industry contribution (0.025% of gross media spending): SRC is funded by the advertising industry through a system of cost apportionment where advertisers contribute 0.025% of their gross media spending (€250 per €1 million). This is calculated using a Nielsen-drawn system. This is the primary revenue stream, representing the bulk of SRC's financing.
2. Annual affiliation fees from media institutions: Media institutions (radio, audiovisual) pay annual affiliation fees to SRC based on a scale set by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). For domestic reach, 40% of the OCW scale rates apply; for international reach, 10% of the scale rates apply. Video-uploaders pay 40% of the fee they pay to the Commissariaat voor de Media.
3. Copy Advies (Copy Advice) fees: Advertisers can request Copy Advies — a confidential and non-binding review of proposed advertising against the Dutch Advertising Code. The base rate is €500 (excl. VAT) per concept advertising piece/campaign. Only advertisers who have paid the annual SRC contribution qualify. Additional fees may apply for complex cases.
4. Monitoring and analysis services: SRC conducts monitoring and analysis of advertising for industry associations and advertisers. Branch organizations can commission SRC to screen advertising across media over a period. Branch reports with recommendations are produced. This service is only available to participating organizations and/or members who have paid the annual SRC contribution.
5. Complaint, objection and appeal fees: Fees are charged for objections and appeals against decisions. Consumers pay €15–50; commercial entities pay €250–€1,000 for complaints and €375–€750 for appeals. These fees are relatively small and serve a procedural function rather than being a major revenue source.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stichting Reclame Code (SRC) operates as the Dutch national self-regulatory organization for advertising, enforcing the Nederlandse Reclame Code (Dutch Advertising Code). Its core offerings include complaint adjudication through the Reclame Code Commissie (RCC) and College van Beroep (CvB), pre-clearance Copy Advies services, advertising code training, and the proprietary Influencer Monitor tool that scans YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for non-compliant influencer marketing. SRC also conducts sector-specific monitoring and analysis for industry associations and handles mandatory affiliation for media institutions and video-uploaders under the Dutch Media Act.

Product overview

Stichting Reclame Code (SRC) operates as a self-regulatory organization for advertising in the Netherlands, functioning as a platform rather than a single product. The core offering centers on the Nederlandse Reclame Code—a comprehensive set of advertising rules enforced through the Reclame Code Commissie (RCC) for complaint handling and the College van Beroep (CvB) for appeals. Supporting services include Copy Advies for pre-clearance, Trainingen for education, and the Influencer Monitor for automated social media monitoring on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Additional modules cover Monitoring en Analyse, Klachtenprocedure for complaint submission, Video-uploaders Registratie for influencer compliance, a searchable Uitspraken Database of rulings, and the Nieuwsbrief newsletter. The Compliance Afdeling ensures enforcement of RCC decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nederlandse Reclame Code (NRC): The Dutch Advertising Code containing the rules for responsible advertising
• Influencer Monitor
• Copy Advies (Copy Advice)
• Reclame Code Commissie (RCC)
• College van Beroep

Products and services

• Copy Advies Confidential, non-binding advisory service for advertisers that reviews a proposed advertising concept or campaign against the Dutch Advertising Code. Base fee is €500 (excl. VAT) per concept, with additional fees for complex cases. Available only to advertisers who have paid the annual SRC contribution.
• Trainingen Educational training programs for advertisers, agencies, media organizations, and content creators on the Dutch Advertising Code and responsible advertising practices, delivered under the SRC umbrella with presentation requests handled by the Compliance department.
• Influencer Monitor Proprietary online monitoring service for branch associations and advertisers that aggregates content from YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok and applies keyword and image/video detection filters to automatically identify advertisements and flag potential Dutch Advertising Code violations, producing automated compliance reports.
• Monitoring en Analyse Screening and analysis service for industry branch organizations that monitors advertising expressions across various media over specified periods to verify member compliance with sector-specific codes, producing branch reports with recommendations. Available only to participating organizations and SRC-contributing members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Compliance enforcement is very effective, as monitored by the Compliance department which follows up on all non-compliant rulings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRC is a member of EASA, a Brussels-based organization that promotes responsible advertising by providing guidance on advertising self-regulation. EASA has a network of 41 organizations representing 27 advertising standards bodies from Europe and 14 advertising ecosystem organizations. SRC participates in EASA's cross-border complaints system, which has operated since 1992. EASA sets high operational standards for advertising self-regulatory systems.
• International Council on Ad Self-Regulation (ICAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRC and EASA are both members of ICAS, an international platform established in 2016 to promote effective advertising self-regulation worldwide. ICAS connects self-regulatory organizations globally to share best practices and strengthen advertising standards.
• Commissariaat voor de Media (CvdM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch Media Authority (CvdM) oversees compliance with the Media Act and determines which video-uploaders fall under active supervision. Video-uploaders who are registered with CvdM and make advertising must join SRC. CvdM determines eligibility criteria for influencer registration, and SRC's annual fee for video-uploaders is based on 40% of the CvdM fee.
• Consumentenbond (Dutch Consumer Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Consumentenbond represents consumers in the SRC's governance — on the board of SRC and in the Advertising Code Committee and the Board of Appeal. This ensures consumer representation in the self-regulatory system for advertising.
• Bond van Adverteerders (bvA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Association of Dutch Advertisers (bvA) is one of the advertiser organizations affiliated with SRC. bvA has representation in SRC's Platform of Participants and appoints a member to the Advertising Code Committee.
• Stichting Etherreclame (STER)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSTER is the organization for public and commercial broadcasting advertising in the Netherlands. It is affiliated with SRC under the Media Act and is bound by SRC rulings on advertising.
• Stichting Verantwoorde Alcoholconsumptie (STIVA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSTIVA is the Dutch Foundation for Moderate Alcohol Consumption, representing producers and importers of alcoholic beverages. STIVA is affiliated with SRC and administers the Retail Alert mechanism under the Advertising Code for Alcoholic Beverages, contacting manufacturers and importers when packaging violates the code.
• Data Driven Marketing Association (DDMA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDDMA is a channel organization affiliated with SRC. DDMA helped draft the Code for Distribution of Advertisements by E-mail and represents direct marketing interests in SRC's governance.
• Platform of Participants (SRC advertisers, media, creation, consumer organizations)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSRC's Platform of Participants includes representatives from advertiser organizations (bvA, FNLI, RAI, STIVA, NCV, ANVR, KOAG/KAG, VSK, NKP, NVCG, Goede Doelen Nederland, VNLOK, NOGA), channel organizations (DDMA, NDP Nieuwsmedia, MMA, IAB, Thuiswinkel.org, STER, RPO, NLPO, Screenforce, RAB, KSF, MailDB, Postfilter, Outreach), creation organizations (VEA, PMA), and consumer organizations (Consumentenbond, ANWB, Vereniging Eigen Huis). This platform drives collective self-regulation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reclamecodecommissie / Stichting Reclame Code (Belgium): The Belgian Dutch-language advertising code committee, structurally analogous to SRC and part of the same EASA network. Operates a parallel complaints procedure against advertising in Flanders, with overlapping industry-funding mechanics.
• Deutscher Werberat (German Advertising Standards Council): Germany's advertising self-regulatory body handling consumer complaints against advertising under industry codes. Closely comparable to SRC in role and operating model, with branch-specific codes similar to SRC's Special Advertising Codes.
• ARPP (Autorité de Régulation Professionnelle de la Publicité, France): France's advertising self-regulatory organisation, operating the ARPP codes and a complaints/advisory procedure funded by the advertising industry. Direct functional peer to SRC, with a comparable pre-clearance and monitoring offering.
• JEP ( Jury d'Ethique Publicitaire, Belgium): Belgium's bilingual advertising self-regulatory jury handling complaints and issuing opinions on ad compliance. Highly comparable to SRC's Reclame Code Commissie function, and a natural EASA co-member for cross-border benchmarking.
• Advertising Standards Authority (ASA, UK): The UK's national advertising self-regulatory body, operating the CAP/BCAP codes and a complaints-handling system funded by a levy on advertising spend. Direct equivalent to SRC in mandate, funding model, and two-tier complaints structure, but at a materially larger scale.

Emerging players

• ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India): India's advertising SRO operating a complaints procedure against misleading advertising and an ASCI Code of Self-Regulation. A non-European emerging peer following the same self-regulatory model that SRC embodies.

Broad incumbents

• FTC (Federal Trade Commission, US): US federal agency enforcing advertising truthfulness under Section 5 of the FTC Act, with active influencer/endorsement guidance. A state-mandated broad incumbent playing the regulatory-enforcement role that in the Netherlands is partly delegated to SRC.

Others

• European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA): Brussels-based alliance that coordinates cross-border complaint handling among European SROs and sets operational standards for advertising self-regulation. SRC is a member; EASA functions as the institutional parent layer over SRC and its 27 SRO peers.
• International Council on Ad Self-Regulation (ICAS): Global platform coordinating advertising self-regulatory bodies, co-founded by EASA and SRC-affiliated entities. Thematically aligned with SRC's mandate and a strategic partner for international best-practice sharing.
• Commissariaat voor de Media (CvdM): Dutch Media Authority that determines which video-uploaders fall under active supervision, gating SRC's video-uploader registration flow. Adjacent regulator whose decisions directly shape SRC's addressable registration base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-reclame-code
• Xx.com/StReclameCode
• Facebookfacebook.com/StReclameCode

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stichting Reclame Code