Following this morning’s Select Committee statement regarding urgent action to be taken to reduce national obesity rates, the IPM has been working closely with other industry bodies about the role of advertising self-regulation to consider changes.
As part of CAP, the IPM has been working behind the scenes with a number of industry bodies as well as consulting across the industry in response to the obesity challenge set out by Government. The IPM will be seeking responses from its membership as a result, which spans brand owners, agencies and service agencies involved in promotional activation across a broad range of sectors.
With brand owners and their associated agencies, there sits a natural responsibility to market to all types of consumer in a manner that upholds the CAP code. The Select Committee views price promotions as being part of the overall obesity issue; the IPM believes its members take a responsible approach already and all seek to actively uphold CAP and IPM standards in this regard. As such, the IPM has committed time and resource to a coalition task force to look at the challenges facing both industry and consumers and to find a workable, responsible solution for all parties.
The IPM’s Managing Director Carey Trevill comments, ‘At the IPM, the industry initiative on obesity and the wider impact on children’s health is critical and taken very seriously. As part of CAP, we are actively supporting the role of advertising and marketing to help bring about the changes needed’.
In addressing the self-regulation aspect that is championed by the advertising community, Trevill comments further, ‘It’s the very fact that we do self-regulate that enables us to consider quickly and carefully how changes could be made.’
CAP and its members, which include IPM, ISBA, AA, DMA, IPA amongst others, are undertaking a pre-consultation, campaigning key industry and public health organisations prior to public consultation.
The IPM will be consulting its Membership within the next week in direct relation to the obesity crisis.
