Recently, leading producers from the beer, wine and
spirits sectors launched a comprehensive initiative to strengthen
independent advertising self-regulatory schemes for alcohol
beverage marketing by establishing a set of ‘common, rigorous
standards’ for their marketing communications throughout the
EU.
The World Federation of Advertisers
(“WFA”) presented the Responsible Marketing Pact at the latest
European Commission’s Alcohol and Health Forum meeting.
The Responsible Marketing Pact is a pan-industry response to
Commissioner Dalli’s call for further action in responsible
advertising, particularly as regards new media and the exposure of
underage people.
The Pact involves eight leading alcohol producers as signatories
and, as associate partners, the trade organisations of the spirits,
wine and beer sectors as well as advertisers and sponsorship
associations. It aims to create common standards throughout
the EU to:
- prevent minors from inadvertently seeing alcohol beverage
marketing communications on social media (including common
standards for effective age controls, Facebook-sponsored stories,
user-generated content, sharing/forwarding functionality);
- set a common adult demographic standard for alcohol beverage
marketing communications across all media, thereby limiting undue
exposure of minors to such advertisements. This will take the form
of a common baseline standard that advertisements may only be
placed in media where at least 70% of the audience is reasonably
expected to be above the legal purchase age;
- prohibit any alcohol beverage marketing communications that
might be particularly attractive to minors by ensuring that the
content of advertisement appeals primarily to adults. The
initiative will provide consistent guidelines and enforcement in
both the letter and spirit of the rules to ensure advertisements
primarily appeal to adults of the legal purchase age.
The European Centre for Monitoring Alcohol
Marketing (“EUCAM”) claims, however, that the key
elements of this marketing Pact are not new and have already been
established in each sector. The Brewers of Europe and the
spirits producers organised within the European Forum for
Responsible Drinking (“EFRD”) already have implemented
similar voluntary rules.
It remains to be seen whether the new Pact will
prove to be effective. If it is successful, industry is
hopeful that this will avoid the need for legislative reform in
this area.