APEC Workshop Looks to Raise Advertising Standards

ICC’s Raelene Martin addressing the advertising standards workshop

USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce helped organize a well-attended workshop on “APEC Advertising Standards: From Principles to Implementation” at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings this week in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The workshop served as an important milestone in ongoing APEC discussions, strongly supported by the business community, to advance high standards for marketing and advertising throughout the APEC region. It brought together key government and advertising industry participants from APEC economies to advance the 2014 APEC Action Agenda on Advertising Standards and Practice Development, and to examine how APEC economies can implement these recommendations with key indicators for doing so.

USCIB Vice President Barbara Wanner attended the workshop alongside numerous USCIB member company representatives.

Since the first APEC advertising standards meeting in 2012, APEC economies have sought to promote the adoption and effective implementation of advertising standards consistent with international best practice. Five years on, the aim of this workshop was to address APEC ministers’ instructions in 2016 with regard to “promoting the alignment of advertising standards and reducing the cost of doing business across the region” and to “prepare a five year implementation strategy.”

“The ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising is committed to working with industry and other key stakeholders to help advocate the benefits of advertising self-regulation and the alignment of advertising standards at international level,” said Raelene Martin, ICC’s project manager for marketing and advertising. “This year’s APEC conference provided an ideal forum to re-state this commitment and advance together towards the shared goal of greater public trust in marketing and advertising.”

The Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice, developed by the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising, is the gold standard for the most nationally applied self-regulation around the world. The ICC Code, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, has served as the foundation and building block for self-regulatory structures around the world, and offers a globally consistent baseline for economies developing advertising principles while, also providing flexibility for local laws and culture to be reflected in a local code. It is a recognized and trusted rule-setting tool for the marketing and advertising industry, and at the same time is noted for its adaptability to local market and policy conditions. View the ICC Code here.

 

Celebrating 80 Years of the ICC Marketing Code

ICC Marketing & Advertising Commission members met in Paris on June 16.

USCIB and others in the International Chamber of Commerce family are celebrating this year’s 80th anniversary of the ICC Consolidated Code of Marketing and Advertising Communication Practice.

Earlier this week, ICC presented the Code during a networking cocktail hosted in partnership with the French Association of the Communications Agencies, at the French Camp Cannes held on the margins of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The event followed the semi-annual meeting of ICC’s Commission on Marketing and Advertising, which took place in Paris on June 16 and was chaired by Brent Sanders, associate general counsel with Microsoft and chair of USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee.

During the celebratory event in Cannes, Ximena Tapias Delporte, vice chair of the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising and president of the Colombian Commission on Advertising Self-Regulation, joined Stéphane Martin, director general of the French self-regulatory organization ARPP and chair of the European Advertising Standards Alliance, to share perspectives on the Code and its broader application at international level as the foundational instrument of advertising self-regulation.

The ICC Code was also presented at the International Advertising Association (IAA) cabana in Cannes, where Carla Michelotti, vice chair of USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee and vice president of the IAA, interviewed Martin on using the Code to ensure best practices in the advertising industry and to build trust with consumers.

“Over the past 80 years, the ICC Code has played a key role in providing principles that help build trust with consumers, assuring them of advertising that is honest, legal, decent and truthful,” Martin said during the interview.

According to USCIB Vice President Jonathan Huneke, at the ICC commission meeting in Paris, members discussed possible revision of the Code in the coming years to more fully reflect changes in technology and advertising practice, and finalized a draft ICC guide on responsible mobile marketing communications. The latter document is expected to be finalized and issued by ICC in the coming weeks.

ICC Marketing Commission Takes Action on Several Fronts

On December 5 in New York, USCIB helped host a semi-annual meeting of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Marketing and Advertising. It was, in the words of one member, among the most productive the commission has held in recent memory, with approval of several key statements on global marketing practices and regulatory challenges.

For eight decades, ICC has played a critical role in developing cross-border standards for marketing and advertising. The Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communication Practice is the gold standard for self-regulation of the industry. Since its introduction in 1937, it has served as the foundation and cornerstone for the codes of most self-regulatory systems around the world.

The ICC commission is chaired by Brent Sanders (Microsoft), who also chairs USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. We will circulate reports on individual initiatives in the days and weeks to come, but here is an overview of the meeting’s major outcomes, as reported by USCIB Vice President Jonathan Huneke:

  • A new ICC Statement of Code Interpretation/Reference Guide on Advertising to Children has been approved by the ICC Executive Board.
  • Members are nearing completion of a new ICC Guide for Responsible Mobile Marketing Communications.
  • Work is beginning on expanded ICC guidelines on online behavioral advertising, to address issues related to mobile such as location data.
  • Members endorsed a draft ICC paper on labelling and packaging measures impacting on brand assets, developed jointly with the ICC Commission on Intellectual Property. Following approval by the ICC Executive Board, the document will be disseminated for advocacy purposes by affected industries in specific countries.
  • The commission is gearing up for a full revision of the Consolidated ICC Code in conjunction with its 80th anniversary (in 2017) as well as ICC’s centennial celebrations in 2019.

USCIB to Attend APEC Summit in Lima

apec_limaThis week, USCIB President and CEO Peter M. Robinson will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Lima, Peru, as a business delegate and representative of the U.S. APEC Business Coalition. Attending with him will be Helen Medina, USCIB’s vice president of product policy and innovation.

Organized under the leadership of the National Center for APEC (NCAPEC) USCIB will be joining other Coalition and NCAPEC members on the ground, including CEOs and executives from USCIB member companies. NCAPEC serves as the designated 2016 U.S. Strategic Partner for the CEO Summit, Secretariat to the U.S. members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and as Chair and Secretariat of the U.S. APEC Business Coalition.

“APEC actively supports economic growth, regional cooperation, and trade and investment,” said Robinson. “USCIB welcomes the committed partnerships that APEC, as the top economic forum in the region, has sustained with the private sector to address the complex economic issues that face the region. It is a vital platform for addressing trade and investment, which is especially important now that prospects for U.S. ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership look cloudy.”

Throughout 2016, USCIB has addressed a number of issues through APEC to advance discussions across a range of issue. These include chemicals regulation, advertising self-regulation, data privacy, customs, digital trade, and women in the economy. Our members and staff have engaged in several APEC working groups, including the Chemical Dialogue, APEC Business-Customs Dialogue, Customs Procedures Virtual Working Group, Alliance for Supply Chain Connectivity, the Electronic Commerce Steering Group and Data Privacy Subgroup.

In Lima, Robinson and Medina will meet with USCIB members, leaders from APEC economies and representatives of intergovernmental organizations to discuss member companies’ APEC priorities and USCIB’s work. They look forward to hearing from USCIB members in Lima, in addition to joining with Coalition partners, to advance common objectives.

The upcoming APEC meetings in Lima include, in addition to the CEO Summit, the Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting, Fourth APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Meeting, APEC Ministerial Meeting and APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. As these meetings draw Peru’s host year to a close, USCIB has begun to gather priority issues from its membership for 2017, when Vietnam will serve as APEC’s host. We are continuing to collect input, and will shortly release our APEC Priority Issues and Recommendations for 2017.

APEC Looks at Advertising Standards, Self-Regulation

Lima_PeruMembers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum held a third workshop on advertising standards in Lima, Peru August 22-23. The workshop brought together important government and advertising industry participants from APEC economies to advance the APEC Action Agenda on Advertising Standards and Practice Development, and to share views on good practices and experiences in advertising self-regulation.

Drawing attention to the 2017 APEC host’s views on the importance of the issue, the two-day event was opened by Peruvian Vice President Mercedes Araoz, who emphasized the need for a self-regulatory space to reflect responsibility in society, mutual respect and the creation of values. On this note, the stage was set for the seminar which focused on sharing good practices and experiences on advertising self-regulation among APEC economies, followed by fruitful discussions between APEC regulatory authorities, SROs and the industry.

Several USCIB members took part in the workshop, as did representatives of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), part of USCIB’s global network. ICC maintains the oldest and most influential international code on marketing and advertising standards, and has been a force for robust self-regulation of the industry since the 1930s.

“Advertising is an important driver of economic growth within APEC,” said Raelene Martin, policy manager for ICC’s Commission on Marketing and Advertising. “Aligning advertising standards across the Asia-Pacific region will easier facilitate the delivery of advertising services, and enable business growth, greater regional trade and investment, non-tariff barrier reduction and drive economic growth among APEC economies.”

Martin elaborated on the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice, noting its flexibility to adapt to different legal backstops and local needs. The code has been classified by the APEC Policy Support Unit study as the global reference for international best practice/advertising self-regulation.

APEC is developing a set of guiding principles which call on government and industry to develop robust self-regulatory systems, and provide a regulatory checklist on self-regulatory best practice for developing general systems and specific industries. A mentoring network will also be established, hosted by the Australian Advertising Standards Authority, to help reinforce and develop self-regulatory organizations, particularly in key markets where they do not yet exist.

At the APEC senior officials meeting taking place that same week in Lima, members of the APEC Committee on Trade and Investment recognized the continued importance of the APEC Action Agenda, with strong support for the work and follow-through on the key outcomes from the workshop, including a proposal for the next conference to be organized in Ho Chi Minh city in 2017, during Vietnam’s term as APEC chair, to review progress and develop a five-year implementation plan.

The ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising has renewed its commitment to work with industry and other key stakeholders to help advocate the benefits of advertising self-regulation and ensure local input is given into the global commission that writes and revises the ICC Code.

ICC Underscores Importance of Freedom of Commercial Communication

Digital marketing concept

A new International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) statement urging governments to reject general advertising bans and overly prescriptive restrictions on truthful commercial communications, in favor of self-regulatory practices, warns that excessive regulation in the field of advertising and commercial communications could hinder trade and hamper economic growth and development.

Issued on November 24, the ICC policy statement addresses continuing threat of bans on advertising and promotion of legal products and restrictions on freedom of commercial communication in favor of self-regulatory practices.

“This statement presents the views of global business on the freedom of commercial communication and expands on the discussion of the rights of advertisers,” said Brent Sanders (Microsoft), chair of the ICC commission and of USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. “It outlines the responsibilities accepted by business and supports the argument for continued self-regulation through ICC codes.”

ICC’s Commission on Marketing and Advertising will hold its nextg meeting on December 7 in New York. The Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice (the ICC Code), is the gold standard for most nationally applied self-regulation around the world.

The newly revised ICC policy statement on freedom of commercial communication outlines ICC Code principles related to freedom of commercial communication and self-regulation, and recognizes business responsibility to consumers in providing decent, honest and truthful commercial communication. It aims to underscore that freedom of advertising and of commercial speech, underpinned by effective self-regulation, are cornerstones of the market economy.

“Latin America has seen a proliferation of proposals or enacted laws to restrict food and beverage marketing and this statement from ICC is most timely as business concern mounts with threats continuing to extend globally,” said Ximena Tapias Delporte, vice chair of the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising and executive chairman of the Colombian Union of Advertising Companies.

In the statement, ICC upholds that products that can be legally manufactured and marketed should be legal to advertise in line with free market media and communication laws, taking into account the interests of the public and the common good.

ICC has served as the authoritative rule-setter for international advertising since the 1930s, when the first ICC Code on advertising practice was issued. Since then, it has updated and expanded the ICC self-regulatory framework where needed to assist companies in marketing their products responsibly and to help self-regulators apply the rules consistently.

Download the ICC Policy Statement on Freedom of Commercial Communications

Download the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice

ICC Marketing Commission Looks at New Challenges to Ad Standards Worldwide

During Ad Week in New York, ICC and USCIB representatives brought a global perspective to the annual meetings of the U.S. Advertising Self-Regulatory Council. L-R: Manuela Carvalho (Publicis Brazil), Sheila Millar (Keller & Heckman), Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud (ICC).
During Ad Week in New York, ICC and USCIB representatives brought a global perspective to the annual meetings of the U.S. Advertising Self-Regulatory Council. L-R: Manuela Carvalho (Publicis Brazil), Sheila Millar (Keller & Heckman), Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud (ICC).

As technology, media and consumer tastes continue to rapidly change and evolve, brand owners, advertisers and regulators are struggling to keep pace. Some countries are becoming more restrictive in food and beverage marketing, social media and marketing to children, while others are embracing a model of industry-led standards and self-regulation.

Last week, as the advertising world descended on New York for Ad Week, USCIB helped host a timely meeting of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)’s Marketing and Advertising Commission at the headquarters of 21st Century Fox. The commission encompasses experts in advertising standards from around the world, and oversees ICC’s longstanding Marketing Code – the benchmark for responsible marketing practices in numerous countries.

At the annual meeting of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), which is part of the main U.S. advertising self-regulatory body, the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council, USCIB and ICC members brought a global perspective to discussions of ad standards, enforcement and changing consumer preferences. Sheila Millar (Keller & Heckman), vice chair of the ICC commission, was joined by Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud of the ICC secretariat and Manuela Carvalho of Publicis Brazil for a discussion on “Exploring the Global Landscape for Marketing to Children.”

Carvalho noted the often vast differences in standards in various Latin American countries when it comes to using children as advertising pitchmen, airing ads targeted to children on television during certain hours, and addressing the role of parents in purchasing decisions. These differences, she said, often preclude marketing and advertising practices that would be deemed acceptable in the United States, such as a TV ad by a well-known fried chicken brand that uses child actors to evoke nostalgia for the product among adult consumers.

“Empowered” consumers vs. “insidious” marketers?

ICC Marketing and Advertising Commission Chair Brent Sanders (Microsoft) discussed the latest developments in what’s come to be known as “native advertising,” the blending of paid and editorial content.
ICC Marketing and Advertising Commission Chair Brent Sanders (Microsoft) discussed the latest developments in what’s come to be known as “native advertising,” the blending of paid and editorial content.

At the main meeting of the ICC Marketing and Advertising Commission, which drew strong U.S. participation along with representatives from several other countries, Commission Chair Brent Sanders (Microsoft) led an overview of the latest developments in so-called “native advertising.” This encompasses a variety practices that embed advertising or sponsored messages in editorial content, such as sponsored posts on a Facebook feed.

“Often the growth in native advertising is negatively depicted solely as consequence of the rapid decline in effectiveness of traditional banner ads” observed Chris Payne of the World Federation of Advertisers. “What is often forgotten is that this is itself a consequence of a shift in demand from advertisers, driven by the proliferation of social media and other online platforms. It is this change in demand which the industry is reacting to; in the future minimal disruption and maximum engagement will be key.”

“As such the move to a more harmonised, integrated means of engagement is a positive response to a shifting consumer landscape,” Payne said. “However, we must remain sensitive to the concerns of broader society, especially those concerns that question the integrity of industry and, where possible, we should work to address these concerns.”

Proliferating food labeling proposals

Other issues discussed by the commission included the proliferation of proposals – many quite draconian – to restrict food and beverage marketing in Latin America and other regions.  Mary Catherine Toker (General Mills) shared a proposal currently under consideration in Chile that would call for “stop sign” warning labels and advertising bans on most packaged food products sold in Chile. The nutrition standards are inconsistent with internationally accepted science and many trade experts believe that the proposed regulation violates Chile’s international trade obligations.

“We have a serious commitment to providing clear, fact-based nutrition information to consumers,” said Toker. “As members of the International Food and Beverage Alliance, we have made a global commitment to a common, science-based nutrition labeling system – providing information on the seven globally-recognized nutrients on pack with calories prominently placed on the front of pack, as well as to responsible advertising. We know from our consumers that they are not looking for warning labels and stop signs when making choices about feeding their family. Rather, consumers are seeking factual, science-based and objective nutrition information that allows them to make decisions based on their individual dietary needs.”

ICC and USCIB have long recognized the importance of responsible advertising as the engine of free content and an important key to making consumers aware of available products and services. New global regulations that threaten to restrict some types of advertising are a reminder to all advertisers of the need to remain actively engaged in promoting responsible self-regulation.

Staff contact: Jonathan Huneke

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ICC Launches Spanish Version of Framework on Alcohol Advertising

4732_image001A Spanish edition of the International Chamber of Commerce’s global framework to help strengthen self-regulation for marketing alcohol has been launched today in Mexico City at a meeting of the ICC Mexico Commission on Marketing and Advertising. This follows the launch
of a Mandarin language translation of ICC’s global marketing code last week in Beijing.

The framework clarifies the do’s and don’ts for responsible marketing of alcohol and serves as the basis for developing self-regulatory rules for marketing alcohol where they do not already exist.

The Spanish edition has been translated by ICC Mexico from the original English version, which launched in March 2014. It will help advertising professionals understand how existing global marketing principles should be applied in practice while offering companies and self-regulatory bodies a guide for bolstering responsible practice across markets.

The commission worked with the alcohol sector to ensure that the framework helps companies meet self-regulation commitments without disrupting existing codes. In Mexico the alcohol industry was strongly supportive of the framework and encouraged its adoption and implementation.

Raul Rodriguez, Chair of ICC Mexico’s Marketing and Advertising Commission said: “It is without a doubt that this framework will become an important reference to industries in Mexico, considering that recognition of self-regulation systems in marketing and advertising is growing in the sectors involved: industry, regulation authorities, policymakers and consumers themselves; this encourages and drives the making of these types of conduct codes.”

The ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising is the body of global experts responsible for developing and updating the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice, which serves as the gold standard for most national and regional self-regulation.

The ICC has served as the authoritative rule-setter for international advertising since the 1930s, when the first code on advertising practice was issued. Since then, it has updated and expanded the self-regulatory framework to assist companies in marketing their products responsibly and to help self-regulators apply the rules consistently.

Staff contact: Jonathan Huneke

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Mandarin Translation of ICC Marketing Code Launched

4727_image001The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) unveiled the first official Mandarin translation of the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice, the updated version of a document first published in 1937. The ICC Code serves as an ethical rule-setting guide for self-regulatory bodies across all sectors, and is designed to build consumer trust in advertising practice while reducing the need for government regulation.

The Mandarin version of the ICC code was shared with the 1,300 delegates attending the 43rd World Advertising Congress in Beijing, presented by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and China Advertising Association, and hosted by China’s State Administration of Industry and Commerce and the Municipal Government of the City of Beijing.

The ICC code is the gold standard for self-regulation around the world. It offers a globally consistent baseline for economies developing standards while also providing flexibility for local laws and culture to be reflected in a local code.

This ninth revision of the ICC code, published in 2011, expands its global principles to address new technology and practice changes. Now published in 11 languages, the code is used as a foundation and resource for most national and sector self-regulatory systems. Self-regulatory bodies implement the principles to monitor advertising and provide consumers with easy access to make complaints and redress problems.

“The ICC Code reflects the commitment of companies from all sectors of industry and all regions of the world to responsible marketing and advertising,” said Carla Michelotti, vice chair of USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee. “IAA was pleased to facilitate this launch with ICC and encourage cooperation across the sector locally and internationally to promote consistent responsible practice across markets.”

Michelotti, who is the executive vice president, chief legal, government and corporate affairs officer at Leo Burnett Worldwide and serves as an IAA board member, took the initiative to bring partner organizations together on this launch to promote responsible advertising practice.

After the congress on May 11, IAA and ICC will co-host a working level meeting on responsible marketing. Forty representatives from Chinese and international stakeholders will participate including, China State Council, State Administration of Industry and Commerce, Chinese National Advertisers Association, China Central Television Advertising Center, Mars, Proctor and Gamble, as well as Unilever and Sony.

“This is a timely opportunity to share and discuss the universal principles with practitioners in China just as the Chinese government is revising the 1994 Advertising Law at present and within it they are encouraging industry to build self-regulation onto that legislative platform,” said Elizabeth Thomas-Raynaud, ICC’s senior policy executive who staffs the ICC Marketing and Advertising Commission that produces the codes.

Staff contact: Jonathan Huneke

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ICC Marketing Commission Advances Global Advertising Standards

ICC’s Marketing and Advertising Commission met near an epicenter of advertising, New York’s Times Square.
ICC’s Marketing and Advertising Commission met near an epicenter of advertising, New York’s Times Square.

In early June, marketing experts from around the world gathered in New York as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)’s Commission on Marketing and Advertising held two days of meetings, at the headquarters of News Corporation, to address emerging challenges in mobile marketing, alcoholic beverages and a number of other areas.

ICC, the world business organization for which USCIB serves as the American national committee, has served for many years as the standard-bearer in developing respected industry advertising standards worldwide. The commission is chaired by Brent Sanders (Microsoft), who also chairs USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee.

Digital communications were top of mind for many commission members. A working group chaired by David Fares (News Corp.) weighed the possible development of new rules on marketing to mobile devices, and reviewed current regulatory initiatives as well as technical solutions designed to promote consumer choice, and protect privacy, in an increasingly mobile environment.

“We had a good discussion of the various programs and tools being developed to ensure company compliance with the EU’s e-privacy directive and self-regulatory programs to address online behavioral advertising,” said Sheila Millar (Keller & Heckman), a vice chair of the commission. “Industry is being pro-active in the face of fast-moving technological changes, demonstrating that it takes both choice and privacy seriously.”

Alcohol framework

The commission agreed to develop a new global framework for responsible marketing of alcoholic beverages, responding to global commitments for robust rules that can serve as a baseline for the establishment of local codes in markets where these do not already exist. An experts’ group discussed a draft guide, which identifies existing principles from the Consolidated ICC Code of Marketing and Advertising and offers interpretation and further guidance to help marketers and self-regulatory authorities. The final product may be ready as early as this fall.

“This voluntary effort, initiated from within the alcohol beverage industry, reflects the goal of the industry to act responsibly around the world,” observed Carla Michelotti (Leo Burnett Worldwide), the vice chair of USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee and a member of the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council in the United States. “These voluntary principles, if adopted by ICC, would certainly have a significant impact on advertising for alcohol beverages in many countries where no self-regulation is in existence.”

Looking to the Asia-Pacific

USCIB and ICC are also working with other stakeholders to encourage further progress on advertising standards within the Asia-Pacific region. Alongside relevant sectoral associations in several APEC countries, we are supporting initiatives by the Australian government and advertising standards body. At a dialogue last November in Vietnam, APEC governments, industry and experts from economies using globally aligned advertising standards recommended further work towards a common APEC approach, including educational and capacity-building programs.

Also at the meeting, John Manfredi, the former longtime chair of the ICC Commission and USCIB’s Marketing and Advertising Committee, was presented with the ICC Merchant of Peace Award by USCIB Chairman and ICC Chairman-elect Terry McGraw, the CEO of McGraw-Hill Financial. Manfredi, managing partner with Manloy Associates, and previously an executive with Proctor and Gamble, Gillette and Nabisco, led efforts to develop and revise ICC codes and guidance resources on topics such as environmental advertising, marketing and advertising on the Internet, and food and beverage marketing. Click here to read more about the award presentation on ICC’s website.

Staff contact: Jonathan Huneke

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