I used the old form of reader feedback last week and wrote a letter to the editor of Campaign after reading the magazine’s leader about encroaching advertising legislation. We have come across this on behalf of a number of clients recently. They were nice enough to print it. Here’s what I said:
Dear Editor,
Your leader that Adland has to act to stem pressure group attacks is absolutely right, but you cannot draw “a line in the sand” as Peta Buscomb of the Advertising Association claims, unless you have the influence to enforce it. Whilst a united front of the AA, the ASA and ISBA is an important part of this, more important are the allies you have speaking and lobbying for you. Advertising people will always say the right to advertise is important, but if the weightier organisations like the IOD and the CBI take up the cause you are much more likely to be heard by the politicians and the technocrats. This has to become a business issue not an advertising issue. This has to be about freedom of expression as much as consumer protection and the industry must find individuals and organisations in business and outside of business with similar beliefs and complementary objectives and marshal them and properly fight the single issue NGOs who are currently winning hands down. Surely, for example, with the number of CEOs who have marketing backgrounds, the industry can get the IOD or CBI to set up NGO watch to help de-bunk some of the claims of the health and consumer NGOs? Never has advertising needed PR more.
David Brain
President and Chief Executive Officer
Edelman Europe
[tags] Advertising [/tags]
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