Brands engaging with consumers through experiential marketing activities will now receive increased legal and best practice direction following the DMA’s adoption of the Experiential Marketing Code of Conduct (EMCC).
DMA members involved with experiential marketing, which include client and agency-side marketers, must now adhere to the EMCC as well as the DMA’s DM Code as a condition of membership. Companies operating in this emerging field will benefit from the protection of strengthened self-regulation.
The EMCC was developed by a working group led by the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM), involving a host of industry bodies including the DMA. The IPM had been approached by the Committee of Advertising Practice and Coca Cola because the CAP Code, which sets the requirements for non-broadcast advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing, does not cover increasingly common experiential practices such as sampling, face-to-face and ‘brand ambassador’ marketing.
The EMCC has been adopted by the IPM, the Marketing Agencies Association, the Public Relations Consultants Association, the British Council of Shopping Centres and Eventia. Client body ISBA has formally recommended the code to its members.
This year, the DMA launched its Brand Activation Group to serve the needs of DMA members involved with direct consumer engagement via in-store, online and face-to-face interaction. The Group will be working to develop standards in the sector through producing regular guidance on best practice, campaign measurement and managing brand partnerships.
Richard Dutton, chair of the group and business development director of Arc UK, welcomed the move:”The EMCC is a great step forward in the development of the burgeoning experiential marketing sector. Adopting the Code demonstrates that the DMA is committed to upholding the highest professional standards for its members and the wider direct marketing industry.”
IPM chief executive Annie Swift said: “We’re delighted that the DMA has now formally adopted the Experiential Marketing Code of Conduct. Experiential marketing, as a discipline, must be seen to be professional and ethical. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the marketing that surrounds them in public spaces, which they don’t always expect and which they may feel they can’t control. The marketing industry as a whole must be seen to be taking those concerns seriously, and we expect other relevant trade bodies to follow the DMA’s sterling example and adopt the EMCC.”
