Conservative Government Would Scrap Communications Act
Lord Saatchi has told a gathering of some of the UK’s largest advertisers that a future Conservative Government would not hesitate to scrap the communications act if it became to restrictive.
The Conservative party chairman told guests at ISBA’s annual luncheon that a Tory Government would repeal the Act if it became too “odious” in the way it dealt with influential media mergers and acquisitions.
He criticised the recently passed Communications Act for failing to clearly define the role that Ofcom plays in the merger and acquisition of media properties. The media regulator currently has the power to investigate the public interest implications of any deal it believes raises competition concerns (see Ofcom Chairman Welcomes Puttnam’s Plurality Test).
Saatchi, who co-founded the now legendary Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency in the seventies, said that the Conservative Party supported ISBA and the IPA and in calling for the self-regulation for the advertising industry.
The advertising guru went on to criticise the “incoming tide of attacks” currently swamping the industry and its role in encouraging binge drinking, obesity and growing consumer debt. He claimed the recent ban on tobacco advertising had opened the floodgates to a number of over zealous consumer groups.
Earlier this year Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, used her keynote speech at ISBA’s annual conference to call on the advertising industry to use its ‘creativity’ to tackle the growing problem of obesity. She rejected calls for a ban on fast food commercials and said that advertising messages promoting healthy eating could be far more effective than a well meaning Government campaign (see Advertisers Urged To Use Creativity In Obesity Battle).
ISBA: 020 7499 7502 www.isba.org.uk
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