Coca Cola backs experiential marketing code of conduct for the UK
Coca Cola Great Britain has said that it welcomes the experiential marketing code of conduct which has been brought in to strengthen the protections for consumers and marketers in the UK.
Paul Dwan, assets and experiential at Coca-Cola Great Britain, said: “We’re pleased to have been working with the IPM to develop and launch the new Experiential Marketing Code of Conduct in the UK, advancing the regulations that are in place within the industry. Experiential and sampling activity is a big part of Coca-Cola Great Britain’s marketing strategy, across our portfolio of brands. We take our products to the hands of consumers in new and exciting ways to drive brand engagement as well as product trial, and we look forward to continuing to do this under the new code.”
The code was drawn up by a working group created by the Institute of Promotional Marketing, after representations from Coca-Cola Great Britain and other interested parties, and includes Direct Marketing Association, ISBA, MAA and The Portman Group.
Bob Suppiah, chairman of the IPM, said: “The UK leads the world in marketing precisely because we have a strong self-regulatory system. We constantly look for any gaps in this system and work together to address them.”
“Experiential Marketing is growing rapidly, and the CAP Code does not cover all techniques used in this area; so marketers were rightly worried that professionalism and quality could be harmed. That’s why it’s great to be able to develop this code that helps protect both consumers and marketers alike.”
It covers techniques such as sampling, face-to-face marketing and ‘brand theatre’, with the IPM and the MAA already adopting the code, and the DMA saying that it intends to.
Mike Hughes, Director General of the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA), the representative body for the UK’s client companies, says:
“Self-regulation needs to constantly adapt to embrace emerging channels of marketing communications with consumers, and the Experiential Code is a valuable complement to the UK Advertising Codes in this regard.”