Regulatory Changes Marketers Need To Know About In 2014

With the new year now upon us, it’s a good idea for marketers to check what type of regulatory changes they will be facing in the next twelve months. Here are some of the legislation adjustments that will leave their mark on the industry and have a direct impact on the work of marketing professionals, as outlined in an article for Marketing Week.

One of the changes that will mainly impact beverage marketers will be the introduction of a sponsorship code that will require alcohol brands to promote responsible consumption as part of any alcohol-sponsored event. The code will be introduced by industry body The Portman Group in the first half of 2014 and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will be will be testing whether brands are obeying the new standards. The authority will monitor whether alcohol commercials are in violation of the new standards, whose main purpose is to limit their exposure to children.

A major event in the world of marketing will be the publication of the European Union Data Protection directive, which will require marketers to seek consumers’ explicit consent when they want to use their personal data to support their campaigns. The reform is expected to be agreed before May, when new European Parliament elections will be held.

The gaming/gambling industry is also about to see changes in its regulatory landscape, to be brought along with the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) report on in-game advertising and data capture, which will be published before April 2014. The aim is to see app developers notify users about any in-game advertising featured in games, or if they plan to use their personal data for advertising purposes. In addition, gambling brands will be required to obtain a UK operating licence from the Gambling Commission if they want to conduct marketing activities in the country.