Summary
A report from a DMA event aimed at providing guidance on upcoming European regulations governing use of consumer data - regulations which have the potential to limit certain types of online marketing activity. The exact nature of these new laws are still to be decided, so delegates were advised that marketers should aim to be persuasive in getting the best interpretation of the European proposals possible. But presenters also agreed that consumer backlash remains an ever-present threat to brands that use online data, and that companies that are transparent about this data usage are set to prosper in future.

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A report from AA Lead, a marketing conference held in London, with representatives from government, media owners, clients and agencies. The main points from the day's presentations were: Advertising contributes a significant proportion of GDP – up to £100bn in the case of the UK, but the nature of adspend is changing fast, with mobile spend expanding rapidly. That said, there is still value to be had in tried-and-true traditional media. Companies are still reducing budgets, but are making the remaining budget work harder. Across all campaigns, the data suggest that spending money on ads has a payback of 6:1 for the broader economy.

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Paid-for product placement was permitted for the first time on commercial TV in the UK by media regulator Ofcom in February 2011. At the time of writing, some 12 months later, estimates suggest there have been fewer than 20 paid placement deals, amounting to revenue less than 2% of the £150 million that optimists estimated the industry to be worth. In this commentary we draw on confidential and informal interviews with industry insiders to set previous academic research in the field within the UK’s unique regulatory context, and we highlight problems inherent in the new industry. Foremost among these is the reluctance of the broadcasters and Ofcom to acknowledge that the free prop supply system that has provided branded scene props to UK productions, including the BBC, for some 30 years, has been and continues to be a de facto product placement industry. Given that, even in a mature paid-for placement market such as the US, industry insiders estimate that 80% of brands on TV are not paid for, we argue that unpaid product placement, also known as free prop supply, is the elephant in the room in regulation and academic research. We make suggestions as to how the impasse in the UK TV product placement industry might be resolved, and we outline ways in which academic research might play a supporting role.

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This article, written before the outcome of the 2012 US Presidential election, highlights some of the major challenges set to face the US advertising industry in 2013. These challenges include the threat of tax increases; the privacy debate which could lead to new rules pertaining to the collection and use of online consumer data; and potential regulations in the food marketing arena. The author points out the industry can prevail but emphasises the need for industry ambassadors and advocates.

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Taking Belgium as a case in point, this study analyses, first, tolerance for advertisements unfriendly to women and men as expressed by advertising and marketing professionals, consumers and gender equal opportunity workers. Second, it compares which types of unequal gender portrayal raise concerns with which sector of respondents. Finally, it analyses the differences in adherence of the three sectors to the two main policy solution paradigms proposed in the 2008 European Parliament Resolution on ‘How marketing and advertising affect equality between women and men’. Results suggest a degree of tolerance that varies significantly according to sector, language, gender and age. Overall, respondents express more concerns regarding traditional sex roles in advertising than regarding nudity, unattainable beauty standards or gender stereotypes, and prefer gender-and-advertising literacy programmes and awards for advertisements that break through gender stereotypes over stricter ethical and/or legal regulations. These findings should prove useful to advertising and marketing professionals, national advertising regulatory bodies and policy makers.

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In order to help marketers adhere to ethical marketing practices in the constantly changing social marketing industry, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) released a revised Social Media Marketing Disclosure Guide to help ensure communications remain ethical and credible. This article, which focuses on US and UK markets, summarises the recommended guidelines regarding when and where disclosure should be made, as there can be serious sanctions involved in not following regulations. While responsibility may lie with the brand, agencies need to advise its social media clients of the evolving regulations.

Summary
Rules in a free market economy are difficult to frame to be both fair and effective, but they are clearly necessary. How far the rules of marketing should go to protect competition and consumers will cause endless debate, and the rules will evolve over time as society's attitudes change. We need only look at 1950s ads proclaiming: "More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette" and "For a better start in life, start cola earlier" to see how much social attitudes to what is and isn't considered acceptable have changed over the decades. Looking forward, marketers will need to be acutely aware of changing attitudes in society, the scientific truth about discoveries on health, and increasingly the need for all of us to lead more sustainable lifestyles.

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Brands that fail to face up to their ethical responsibilities are at growing risk of losing consumer trust in the socially aware world. Marketers can start to address this by introducing ethical considerations to the classic four 'Ps' of product, price, place and promotion in the marketing mix.

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The FTC envisions the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) and the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative playing lead roles in self-regulatory efforts to address advertising’s contribution to childhood obesity. Peeler (2009) notes that CARU’s decisions provide comprehensive guidance to advertisers. Limited research has investigated those decisions. Using thematic analysis, this study examines CARU case reports from 2000 to 2010 involving food marketers from a longitudinal perspective. This study found that CARU has been responsive to the emergence of childhood obesity as evidenced in its increased pursuit of nutrition-related complaints, case language and Guidelines revisions. Suggestions for strengthening CARU, the CFBAI and media clearance are offered.

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Advertising regulation in China contains political and ideological nuances. Despite evolution of its advertising law and years of practice dealing with various codes, advertisers still find it daunting to decipher the regulations after years of practice. The ideological components of China’s advertising law require careful analysis of political correctness and cultural appropriateness. In this paper, the authors use semiotic analysis to consider both advertising that has violated ideological rules and advertising that has successfully transmitted desired ideological messages. And the authors have selected four advertising cases that help clarify the perceptions regarding political ideology in China.