Advertising
Perfecting the practice
Philip Kleinman
"Do you think any of the advertisements in this publication are misleading? If so, fill in the coupon below and send it to the Advertising Standards Authority, 1 Bell Yard, London WC2."
That, or something rather like it, may soon start appearing in the pages of your daily newspaper. For if any decision at all was taken at last week's Advertising Associati,on eonference in Brighton, devoted to advertising's social responsibilities, it was that a campaign be launched to publicise the industry's voluntary control machinery and in particular its newly revised Code of Advertising practice.
I say "if" any decision was taken because in fact no formal resolutions were put to the 500 delegates, representing Britain's major advertisers, ad agencies and media. But John Freeman, head of London Weekend Television, who chaired the conference, was clearly expressing the majority mood when he proposed going ahead with such a campaign. Earlier speakers had expressed their admiration for the example set by the Canadian Advertising Advisory Board, and recounted to the conference by CAAB president Bob Oliver, in promoting its own code.
The CAAB's campaigns, created free of charge by agencies and carried equally free by print and broadcasting media, have included issuing complaints coupons as well as publishing details of ads which have fallen foul of the rules.
Freeman implied that, given IBA approval, his own company would be ready to give air-time for a similar effort in this country. Jocelyn Stevens, managing director of Beaverbrook Newspapers, said in answer to a direct question from Freeman that he would give space for it. The campaign would presumably involve explaining the precise functions of the Advertising Standards authority, an independent body which is nevertheless financed by the Advertising Association, and of the CAP Committee, the body which administers the Code of Advertising Practice and which is directly representative of most sections of the industry.
The revised Code was presented to the conference with pride by Tony Fisher of Unilever, who is chairman of the CAP Committee. The rules, brought together for the first time in one handy volume, certainly go a long way towards meeting criticism of some of the most .obvious advertising abuses. For mstance the rules now lay down that no ad may claim that hair growth can be stimulated or hair loss arrested. New rules have been introduced governing financial advertising.
The greatest attention, however, was paid to the two speakers whose opinions are bound to impinge most directly upon the industry — Shirley Williams, Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection, and John Methven, Director-General of the Office of Fair Trading.
In a somewhat disjointed speech, the charming Mrs Williams echoed Medawar's attacks on cigarette advertising, singling out Consulate's "Cool as a mountain stream" slogan for particular displeasure. She also worried the industry by indicating that she thought the level of personal consumption as a proportion of the gross national product was too high and that advertising was to blame. However she also indicated, as discreetly as she could, that she personally did not have much use for the Green Paper on advertising which the Labour Party produced when in opposition and which advocated a special advertising tax.
In the last speech, and perhaps the most important, of the conference, Methven paid tribute to the openness of mind displayed by the assembled admen but made it clear that he believed and intended that the voluntary control system should be supplemented by state action. In particular his office was preparing to make use of its powers to draft an order regulating the practice of comparative pricing. In other words he was going to put a stop to ads which said 2p off without saying 2p off what.
Adland is obviously reconciled to the idea that—be they voluntary or imposed — it's going to have to live with a lot more rules.
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