Consolidated ICC marketing code launched globally

The Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications, launched on 15 September and made globally available online at the Buenos Aires conference, serves as the foundation for national self-regulatory systems that monitor marketing practices and provide consumers with easy access to make complaints and redress problems.

The code was unveiled at the international conference on responsible advertising, hosted by CONARED, the Latin American Association of Advertising Self-Regulatory Organisations.

“Our Consolidated Code is recognised as the gold standard for self-regulation,” said John Manfredi, Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Marketing and Advertising, and CEO of Manloy Associates in the US. “This new Code expands the scope and reach of global efforts with rules that cover consumer rights and business’ responsibilities online.  It increases protection for children on the internet and sets parameters for all advertising directed to them, and it adds safeguards for consumers’ privacy and personal information.”

“This was coordinated in Sri Lanka by the ICC Sri Lanka with the support of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association (4A’s),” commented Tissa Jayaweera Chairman of ICC Sri Lanka. He further thanked Rohan Somawansa, Immediate Past President SLIM, and Keith Wijesuriya, President 4A’s, for their inputs.

The Code sets out the dos and don’ts on many topical and difficult marketing issues including:

nSetting conditions and limits for online behavioural targeting of advertising (OBA), based on interest profiles created by tracking web browsing habits of consumers

nEstablishing restrictions on products that may be marketed to children and information gathered from them

nSpecifying guidelines for making responsible environmental marketing claims and creating sound food and beverage ads

nSetting standards for ethical behaviour and transparency on digital communications for the new technology players, including mobile operators, search engines, application developers, information aggregators and data gatherers

nProtecting consumer privacy with clear guidance on consumers’ rights, including the right to know what information is acquired by a marketer and the standards for the collection, use and safeguarding of personal data when it is collected

“This Code reflects the commitment of businesses from all sectors of industry and all regions of the world to responsible marketing and advertising,” said Jayaweera.