The good old days of laissez-faire marketing would appear to have gone forever. Like it or not, marketing is now a highly-regulated part of business life. The question is not so much "What can we do about it?" as "How do we live with it? There are currently 10 new bills that will affect marketers before parliament. They won't be the last.
'Marketing compliance is a duty not an option'
Ignorance of the Law is no defence, so burying your head in the sand isn't a realistic option either.
In the past, self-regulation has been the basis for marketing's relationship with governments. But this self-regulatory framework is being written with legislation. In the UK, 21 new ACTS, regulations or amandments affecting marketers have been passed in the last year.
Did you know?
- Global laws - Internet law, such as COPPA. Recent US law that forbids companies, whether in US or overseas, from collecting personal data about minors (defined as children under 13).
- Olympic Bill - It is illegal to combine words like 'games', 'medals', 'gold', 'sponsors', or 'summer' in any form of advertising. More..
- Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) - e.g. companies required to provide 'opt-in' boxes for unsolicited electronic mail, rather than the 'opt-out' boxes which are still prevalent.
- The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - Did you know, it just doesn't cover the accessibility of your physical premises; it covers your virtual presence as well. Your website is leaglly required to be accessible to anyone with a disability. 81% of websites failed to meet basic criteria. More..
'1 in 4 advertisements for private home mortgages were non-compliant with FSA (Financial Services Authority)'
Survey by Mortgages Plc (May 2005)..