ICC
launches interpretation service for its advertising codes
 |
| Advertising: an all
pervasive influence |
Paris,
10 August 2001 - The International Chamber of Commerce has set up an
interpretation service for the ICC marketing codes - key documents for the advertising
industry on which national codes used by professional associations worldwide
are based.
A volunteer panel of top-flight
business experts headed by Anders Stenlund of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise
will respond to queries arising from ICC's eight self-regulatory codes and guidelines.
These cover a
ll aspects of advertising and marketing ethics, from campaigns
directed at children to corporate sponsorship and selling online.
Mr Stenlund said: "Marketing
concepts and techniques are constantly changing as new markets open up and communications
technology progresses. While the ICC codes are designed to accommodate innovation,
the need for an authoritative interpretation service has become increasingly
apparent."
He added: "Creation
of the panel should be seen against the backdrop of globalization and the increasing
need for common ethical standards and their interpretation in an international
perspective."
One of Sweden's leading
authorities on advertising practice, Mr Stenlund serves on the Swedish Market
Court, the country's highest instance in the fields of competition law and marketing
law and he is Vice Chairman of the Council for Marketing Ethics, the Swedish
self-regulatory body on advertising. He is also Chairman of the Business Committee
on Market Law, an umbrella organization bringing together 23 Swedish business
associations.
The two other permanent
members of the panel are: Dr Tony Butler and Marc Lolivier. Dr Butler, now in
private business, was previously Secretary of the Committee of Advertising Practice
in the United Kingdom and Deputy Director General of the Advertising Standards
Authority, the regulatory body that writes Britain's codes on advertising and
sales promotion.
Mr Lolivier is Director
of European Legal Affairs for Reader's Digest and is a member of various trade
organizations, including the Federation of European Direct Marketing Associations,
of which he is Vice-Chairman. Other experts may be invited to join the panel
when needed.
Any company, association,
court of law, public authority, self-regulatory body or private individual may
file a request for interpretation to the ICC International Secretariat. Members
of the panel will decide whether they should take up the request.
The panel, which will be
based at ICC's International Secretariat in Paris, will confine itself to providing
interpretation of the ICC codes and guidelines. "It will not act as an
arbiter, nor will it take a position on individual cases," Mr Stenlund
said. "However, this does not preclude the panel being consulted for interpretation
in conjunction with an individual case." The service is in principle free,
although a fee may be charged in some circumstances if costs are involved.
ICC international marketing
codes and guidelines cover advertising practice, environmental advertising,
sales promotion, direct market, advertising and marketing on the Internet, direct
selling, and sponsorship. A joint code with ESOMAR - the world association of
opinion and marketing research professionals - covers marketing and social research.
ICC codes are often applied
as a reference point for solving national or cross-border disputes. They can
be effective in three ways:
· They may be enacted in national legislation;
· They can be applied directly by companies, professional associations
and self-regulatory bodies;
· They can be adapted to local or specific professional requirements.