My sixth “top ten trend” for 2007 has high expectations that government policymakers, consumer advocacy groups and brand marketers will begin to find common ground, aligning business goals with public policy needs.
More than just a ‘hope,’ finding common ground is an imperative for the marketing community at a time when we are being attacked on multiple fronts. From my perspective, the marketing community is doing “lots of good,” so much so that I believe we are one of the most socially responsible industries in America today!!! Here are a couple of “Did you know’s”:
- Did you know that the Advertising Council manages over 50 socially focused campaigns to improve the social well being of America – with a special emphasis on kids? Did you know that nearly $2 billion in advertising is placed by the Ad Council to further all of those well intentioned efforts?
- Did you know that the Partnership for Drug Free America’s campaigns have contributed to a decline of drug usage by 9 million teens.
- Did you know that the Family Friendly Programming Forum, a group of 40 advertisers and marketers, has created almost 20 prime time network shows – shows the entire family can watch together? Among its many hits are the Gilmore Girls, Ugly Betty, Everybody Hates Chris and Friday Night Lights?
- Did you know that the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) is the self- regulatory unit that ensures marketers take extra care in marketing to our nation’s youths? In the past year, the group has redrafted its cornerstone marketing principles to ensure currency and relevancy in this multi-media environment? And did you know that CARU created the Children’s Food and Beverage Initiative to ensure responsible marketing and to promote healthy lifestyles for children?
- Did you know that the advertising industry comprises 2.5% of the economy – an amount that has directly and indirectly influenced $5.1 trillion of economic activity? That activity generates about 15 million jobs or about 21% of all the jobs in America.
You probably didn’t know all of these things. I didn’t until I got to work with the ANA. In fact, there is a whole lot more that most people don’t truly know about us and the good work this industry does.
Regrettably, our good deeds are not sufficiently recognized or appreciated. Dan Jaffe, ANA’s EVP for Government Relations, in his opening remarks at the recent 2007 ANA Advertising Law and Business Affairs conference, said that the advertising industry is facing serious attacks from major mainstream groups, not fringe groups. The Institute of Medicine (IOM), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Psychological Association (APA) are all calling on the industry to make major changes in our practices. These groups may not know much about our industry, but their attacks on advertising have resonated with Members of Congress.
Currently, the marketing community is being attacked on four specific issues:
• Food marketing – in fact all marketing – to children
• Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising
• Consumer privacy issues
• Advertising taxes
While there are legitimate concerns regarding each of these issues, advertising cannot be the scapegoat for today’s societal problems. All members of society are responsible for their own actions and decisions, and we must all work together to address the problems and create fair/reasonable solutions. Through successful industry self-regulation and working jointly with government and other organizations, we can and will reach common ground.
At the recent ANA Legal conference, Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission, spoke about the importance and success of marketing self-regulation and how the industry must continue to push itself to the next level. She said, “The self regulation in your industry is an enormous success story. But what has struck me during my tenure at the FTC is how many people, here and around the world, either do not know about it or, worse, simply do not believe it. In other parts of the world, for example, when I talk about the work of the National Advertising Division / National Advertising Review Council arm of the Council of Better Business Bureaus and its importance to the U.S. marketplace and the FTC's work to eliminate deceptive marketing, some of my foreign counterparts look at me in disbelief. They do not believe that businesses can be trusted to self-regulate. It is critical that you continue to prove them wrong.”
And that’s exactly what we plan on doing. Through the FCC’s Media and Childhood Obesity: Today and Tomorrow joint task force, the Children’s Food and Beverage Initiative and the Ad Council’s many campaigns regarding community, education and health and safety, the marketing community is demonstrating its commitment to proactively combat societal ills such as illegal drug usage, obesity, underage smoking, alcohol abuse and others.
We, the marketing leaders, must promote the positive, proactive, things we are doing to address the serious challenges facing our society. For example members of the industry introduced www.KidAdLaw.org, a website dedicated to providing information, news and updates on legal and regulatory activities pertaining to marketing to children. Another recent example is the alcohol beverage industry adopting codes to ensure that their products are marketed only in media where adults comprise 70% or more of the audience.
A remarkable example of working together for common benefit is the collaboration now underway between the advertising industry and talent unions (Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). These historically contentious parties recently agreed to conduct a major joint study examining alternative methods of talent compensation with the mutual goal that actors will be paid fairly, and advertisers will be able to achieve an appropriate return on their investment. If this type of collaboration is possible in labor relations, surely it can also occur in the public affairs arena.
Finally, the advertising industry will continue its historic leadership role in advancing national social priorities in such areas as diversity, education, health and safety. We will work to encourage diversity within the industry by collaborating with educators to increase awareness of career opportunities in marketing. In the health arena, the Ad Council will continue to focus much of its work on educating the public about critical issues such as good nutrition, mental health, anti-stigmas, underage drinking and second-hand smoke. And The Partnership for Drug Free America will continue its superbly effective work discouraging drug use.
Together we are addressing these issues. Together we can truly make a difference.
Let the fighting end and the very good work we are all doing continue!
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