Marketing & advertising

ICC Code in Mandarin launched at global advertising congress in Beijing

  • 9 May 2014
ICC Counterfeiting

ICC has unveiled the first official Mandarin translation of the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice (ICC Code), the recent version of a document first published in 1937.

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

This ninth revision of the Code was published in 2011, expanding the global principles to address new technology and practice changes. Now published in 11 languages, the ICC Code is used as a foundation and resource to stay current 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 Executive Vice President, Chief Legal, Government and Corporate Affairs Officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide “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.”

Ms Michelotti, who serves as an IAA Board member and as Vice Chair of the ICC Marketing Commission in the US, took the initiative to bring partner organizations together on this launch as a useful opportunity to promote responsible advertising practice.

Just after the congress, on 11 May, 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, Senior Policy Executive responsible for the ICC Marketing and Advertising Commission that produces the Codes.

The ICC Code, developed by the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising, 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.

Download the Mandarin translation of the Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice.