Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1961)

ere Is How It Works : 1. Report your criticism of any objectionable advertising to the designated person in your organization — the official A.N. A. Member Representative, in the case of advertiser companies; the appointed "coordinator" or A.A.A.A. Official Contact, in the case of agencies. 2. Criticisms by advertisers or agencies are sent to the Secretary of the A.N. A. -A.A.A.A. Committee, c/o 420 Lexington Avenue, New York 17. 3. Those in the scope of the Interchange are sent without identification to the ten advertiser people and ten agency people who make up the A.N. A. A.A.A.A. Committee. 4. Each member of the Committee is asked whether he considers any element in the advertisement to be objectionable; if so, what and why, and whether it is regarded as "serious." 5. If a majority of the Committee considers the advertising objectionable, the criticism and the Committee's votes and comments are sent concurrently to the advertiser and to the placing agency of record. 6. If a majority of the Committee regards the advertising as "seriously" objectionable, the advertiser and placing agency are asked to take corrective action. If within thirty days the advertiser and agency do not answer, or answer unsatisfactorily, the Committee will so notify the Boards of Directors of the A.N.A. and A.A.A.A. 'he Committee vote is not reported to the complainant, since the !ommittee works in confidence with the advertiser and placing gency. 'he Interchange is not censorship. It is helpful criticism and must sly on voluntary self-regulation. But it has helped to bring about i: considerable number of improvements in advertising, many in Campaigns having wide exposure. Vhat Can You Do? /ooking out for objectionable features in advertising is a job for ach of us in advertising. through the Interchange of Opinion, you as an individual can help. If you see or hear what you consider an objectionable commercial on television or radio, note the advertiser, the network or station, the date and time — enough to describe them accurately. If you see an objectionable ad in print, tear it out or make a note of it. Watch for objectionable advertisements on outdoor posters, carcards, and in other forms of advertising too, and make enough notes to describe them accurately. Give your criticism to the person in your organization who has been appointed to forward complaints to the A.N.A. A.A.A.A. Committee. an advertiser or a placing agency — receive a communication rom the Committee, please consider it carefully. It may express a /aluable point of view. /our cooperation will help raise confidence in and acceptability of ndvertising still further in the minds of the public. fou strengthen your own advertising when you help to reduce •bjectionable advertising which is harmful to advertising as a whole. fou COPY CODE The following copy practices are disapproved in a code jointly adopted by the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers, and also by the Advertising Federation of America : a. False statements or misleading exaggerations. b. Indirect misrepresentation of a product, or service, through distortion of details, or of their true perspective, either editorially or pictorially. c. Statements or suggestions offensive to public decency. d. Statements which tend to undermine an industry by attributing to its products, generally, faults and weaknesses true only of a few. e. Price claims that are misleading. f. Pseudoscientific advertising, including claims insufficiently supported by accepted authority, or that distort the true meaning or practicable application of a statement made by professional or scientific authority. g. Testimonials which do not reflect the real choice of a competent witness.