Not another marketing evidence review

Responding to today’s announcement by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)’s of new measures to maintain effective regulation of food and soft drink advertising, Malcolm Clark, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, said:

“It is progress of sorts that the advertising regulator has finally conceded that they lack the expertise needed to properly judge the impact of online and digital marketing.  However, we remain unconvinced that yet another literature review will lead to the changes in the CAP Code necessary to better protect children from junk food marketing.  Despite the accumulated evidence documented in our Through the Looking Glass report on the loopholes in the Code last year, and already presented to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) by leading experts including Professor Agnes Nairn, the regulators have failed to tighten up existing rules. 

The new CAP Help Note to advertisers is merely a re-packaged version of existing guidance, with a few additional references to online content thrown in.  The only noteworthy feature is that almost all of the new examples relate to complaints we have submitted to the ASA over the past two years.

We will continue to highlight examples of problem areas and advertising that breaks the rules, and test out whether – with their stated new push on compliance and being a pro-active regulator – the ASA is at last starting to address our concerns more seriously.”

 

Note:

The additions to the new CAP Help Note which can be traced back to CFC complaints in the Through the Looking Glass report include:

3.3 “advergames should not condone children collecting large numbers of sweets”

3.4 marketing communications should not condone or encourage attitudes associated with poor diets or unhealthy lifestyles; for example …….. “hiding consumption from parental figures” …. .

4.2.3 “For the avoidance of doubt, this rule covers advertising on websites; website content regarding a sales promotion related to food (other than fresh fruit or vegetables) cannot be targeted at pre-school or primary school children through its content. Marketers must take care to ensure that any promotions meant for parents of younger children are clearly targeted at parents through their content.”

5.3 “Marketers should take particular care when it comes to online content, such as advergames.”