ICC releases new code of conduct for global marketing and advertising industry
Launched today at a conference in New York, the new edition of the flagship ICC Marketing Code raises consumer protection standards around the world and expands rules in the digital realm.
ICC has today released the tenth revision of its flagship Advertising and Marketing Communications Code—a globally-applicable self-regulatory framework developed by experts from all industry sectors worldwide. The ICC Marketing Code was launched during the National Advertising Division’s 2018 Annual Conference in New York. ICC is the world’s largest business organisation, representing over 45 million companies and more than 1 billion workers.
Underpinning self-regulatory frameworks in 42 countries, the ICC Marketing Code seeks to protect consumers by clearly setting out the “dos and don’ts” for responsible marketing to ensure legal, honest, decent and truthful communications and practices. This new revision ensures that the ICC Marketing Code takes into account emerging digital marketing and advertising practices, such as artificial intelligence-enabled marketing, market influencers, vloggers and data analytics.
The tenth revision of the ICC Marketing Code includes:
- Enhanced guidance on distinguishing marketing communications content from true editorial and user generated content
- Expanded coverage of the rules to include emerging digital mediums and participants
- Consolidated rules on direct marketing and digital marketing communications
- Updated terminology and guidance on the applicability of mobile phones and cross-devices to location-based advertising and interest-based advertising
- Clarified rules on advertising to children and teens
ICC Secretary General John WH Denton AO said: “The digital transformation of marketing and advertising underscores the critical importance of trust between consumers and companies. The ICC Marketing Code sets the gold standard for ethical advertising that will help ensure consumer trust in the years to come.”
Brent Sanders, Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft and Chair of the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising said: “The ICC Marketing Code has served as the inspiration for self-regulatory codes and as a building block for self-regulatory structures around the world. By ensuring advertising is honest, transparent and decent, these systems build consumer trust and provide quick and easy redress when transgressions occur.”
A Spanish-language edition of the newly-revised ICC Marketing Code will be launched in Cartagena, Colombia—and accessible globally online—on 2 October 2018.
The ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising examines major marketing and advertising related policy issues of interest to world business and brings together top experts on self-regulation and ethical best practices in advertising and marketing communications. ICC has been the major rule-setter in international advertising self-regulation since 1937, when the Commission issued its first Marketing Code—one of the most successful examples of business self-regulation ever developed.
