Say what you will about product marketers, but they are nothing, if not smart. There is a new political wind a-blowing in Washington, with a Democratic House and Senate, and promises by lawmakers to look closely at business practices throughout the land. That makes today's action by two different industries all the more prescient.
First, food companies that sell to kids have promised to be much more responsible in the products they advertise and the way in which those ads are delivered to our youngest consumers.
Second, the distilled spirits industry--makers of alcoholic beverages--conducted its first ever nuts and bolts media buying summit. The importance of this industry-led event is that alcohol makers are proving they want to do everything possible to make sure their products are not advertised in any media whose audience (readers, viewers, etc) is not comprised of 70% adults.
To the skeptics out there who say these self-regulatory initiatives were driven by the threat of government action, I say: "so what." It doesn't matter how these industries got to where they are--it only matters that they're here--and here to stay.
I am most impressed with the alcohol industry's educational efforts. It is bending over backwards to help distillers understand the societal and regulatory framework in which they operate, and to keep their marketing and advertising squarely within bounds. Other than those industries that are highly regulated (securities, pharmaceuticals), I do not know of many other self-regulatory efforts as robust or rigorous as that found among distilled spirits. Kudos to them for getting the message, and taking even more steps toward responsible advertising.
As for the food companies, their plan to launch new self-regulatory guidelines is exactly what the FTC had in mind when it encouraged the industry to review its messaging to children.
When policymakers and the public spoke, these industries got the message.
Adonis Hoffman, a former FCC and congressional lawyer, is a strategic communications expert in Washington.
