Social media may be a new and expanding frontier for marketing, but the same old rules of responsibility apply there for alcohol advertising.
So said members of the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) at their’ Seventh Annual Best Practices Media Summit, held Jan. 14 in Washington D.C.
Presenters Included Facebook, Google/YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Periscope, Foursquare, Nielsen and comScore. The event focused on social media and compliance with the DISCUS Responsible Advertising Code.
Sessions explored new technologies and platforms being used for consumer-directed social media placements, audience analytics and demographic data tools. The summit also touched on techniques to moderate user-generated content on social media sites, appropriately engaging brand-page visitors, and consumer and data privacy issues.
The DISCUS Responsible Advertising Code says of digital alcohol marketing, which includes social media:
- Digital marketing communications are intended for adults of legal purchase age.
- Digital marketing communications should be placed only in media where at least 71.6% of the audience is reasonably expected to be of the legal purchase age.
- Digital marketing communications on a site or web page controlled by the brand advertiser that involve direct interaction with a user should require age affirmation by the user prior to full user engagement of that communication to determine that the user is of legal purchase age.
- User-generated content on a site or web page controlled by the brand advertiser must be monitored and moderated on a regular basis.
- Digital marketing communications that are intended to be forwarded by users should include instructions to individuals downloading the content that they should not forward these materials to individuals below the legal purchase age.
- Digital marketing communications must respect user privacy.
- Digital marketing communications and product promotions must be transparent as brand marketing by being identified as such.
- Prior to the collection of any information, the brand advertiser will require that individual to affirm that they are of legal purchase age and user information only can be collected from those individuals who are of the legal purchase age.
- The brand advertiser shall employ a mechanism for a user to “opt-in” before receiving a direct digital marketing communication and to “opt-out” to discontinue receiving such direct communications.
- Clear information must be provided about collection and use of personal data. Under no circumstances will the information collected be sold or shared with third parties unrelated to the brand advertiser.
- Users should be encouraged to read the privacy statement before submitting their information.
- Measures will be taken to keep user information secure and protected from loss or theft.
“Today’s digital marketplace presents the industry with both challenges and opportunities,” said Mary Barrazotto, Chair of the DISCUS Code Review Board, in a press release. “This Summit brings together experts from inside and outside of the industry to stay ahead of these emerging marketing platforms in keeping with our commitment to responsible advertising and effective self-regulation,”
To learn more about the Code of Responsible Practices for Beverage Alcohol Advertising and Marketing, and Code Review Board decisions, visit discus.org/responsibility/code/.
