ISBA to accuse health campaigners of killing advertising

by Nikki Sandison, Brand Republic 26-Jun-08, 14:20

LONDON - Advertising body ISBA will tomorrow accuse pressure groups and health lobbyists of trying to destroy advertising as a creative and economic force in the UK.

Ian Twinn, public affairs director of ISBA, will make his case at the annual European food law conference in Brussels in front of an audience of senior in-house lawyers and marketers.

In his speech, Twinn will say: "The arguments of the assorted pressure groups, health lobbyists and so-called child protectionists are baseless and harmful to UK plc.

"If we extend them to their logical conclusions we would see all manner of unjustified restrictions introduced, ranging from packaging bans to bans on commercial communications right through to product bans and everything in between."

Twinn will also reveal that he has heard activists calling for total TV ad bans on food and that they have called for the total exclusion of branding from HFSS -- high in fat, salt or sugar -- food packaging.

He will assert that if the pressure groups remain unchecked, business and marketers will find themselves in a "bleak place".

Referring to new research from the Advertising Association this week that says binge drinking is caused not by advertising but by peer behaviour, Twinn will say: "In the same way as advertising isn't responsible for binge-drinking, neither does it cause obesity.

"For the activists to say it does is seriously misleading. Obesity is caused by eating too many calories and then not doing enough to burn them off. The health lobby cannot be allowed to continue to peddle their anti-advertising myths."