IPA Blasts Plans For Alcohol Advertising Crackdown
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising has added its weight to wide-spread calls for media regulator Ofcom to abandon plans to tighten the alcohol advertising codes, claiming the current proposals create too much difficulty for advertisers and their agencies.
In its submission to Ofcom’s public consultation on new codes for broadcast television advertising, the IPA slams the “unnecessarily prescriptive” nature of the plans, which it claims could result in nearly all current alcoholic drinks campaigns being taken off air.
Ofcom’s recently released draft rules include proposals to crack down on alcohol advertising that glamorises excessive drinking, appeals directly to youngsters or infers sexual interaction. The media regulator also wants to ban ads that promote toughness, aggression or anti-social behaviour.
The IPA stresses the dangers of “overly restrictive” regulation and warns that advertisers may transfer spend from mainstream media because they will be unable to effectively engage their target audiences. It also warns that agencies and their clients will need a period of grace to adapt to the new rules.
The industry body’s legal director, Marina Palomba, said: “Ofcom is the first to admit that just because something is a social problem, it does not mean that the situation will be improved by excluding it from advertising. What we see in the proposals to change the codes are assumptions without evidence.”
She added: “This goes against what the Government has said on this subject which is that any steps to restrict freedom of commercial expression and the right to advertise legal products has to be evidence based. There is no link between advertising content and alcohol abuse demonstrated and indeed Ofcom concludes that the influence of advertising on minors is minimal.”
Earlier this month the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers wrote to Ofcom, claiming that the proposed regulatory framework for alcohol advertising could seriously restrict the freedom of drinks companies to market themselves effectively (see ISBA Urges Ofcom To Rethink Drinks Marketing Crackdown).
IPA: 020 7235 7020 www.ipa.co.uk
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