–Represents first major updates to the guidelines in nearly a decade–
WASHINGTON — The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) today issued a new edition of its advertising and marketing Code reflecting the latest marketing practices, technological advancements, and today’s modern marketplace.
First adopted by the spirits industry within months of the repeal of Prohibition, the Code is a set of voluntary guidelines for the responsible placement and content of beverage alcohol advertising and marketing materials.
“We are pleased to launch a new edition of the Code that has been modernized to make it easier to read and reference, and provides updated provisions to better reflect current marketing practices and today’s technology,” said Courtney Armour, DISCUS chief legal officer and Code Review Board liaison.
Among the updates, the Digital Marketing and Media Buying Guidelines have both been modernized to reflect current advertising practices and technological advancements. For example, the Media Buying Guidelines include a new section on programmatic buying, which provides the ability to direct ads to people 21 years of age or older, using first, second, or third-party validated data sources. The revised Code also clarifies that the digital buying guidelines apply to influencers acting on behalf of a brand advertisers.
“The revised Code reflects our steadfast commitment to responsible advertising and marketing directed at legal age adults, utilizing the tools necessary to do so in a rapidly evolving and modern marketplace,” added DISCUS Code Review Board Chair Mary Barrazotto, SVP, General Counsel US/Canada, Global Brands and Global Production at Brown-Forman.
DISCUS worked closely with the Federal Trade Commission, the lead federal agency with advertising oversight, to ensure that this modernization effort was in line with the industry’s longstanding commitment to responsible advertising and adequately addresses issues posed in current marketing practices.
Through the voluntary provisions of the Code, DISCUS members have held themselves to a standard higher than mandated by any law or regulation. Over the decades, there has been 100 percent compliance by DISCUS members with Code Review Board decisions and overwhelming compliance by non-DISCUS members.
The FTC has commended the Code on numerous occasions and cited it as a model. In each of the Commission’s intensive reviews of beverage alcohol advertising, the FTC has confirmed that spirits ads are directed to adults and that self-regulation through the industry Code is working.
Click here to view Code of Responsible Advertising and Marketing Practices
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