MEDIA MATTERS
However, I do envisage FEPE being able to help and
advise a number of different markets as they face down
threats to advertising freedoms. This year we’ve already
helped the OOH industries in Bulgaria and Portugal with
specific legislative issues.
We have close links to the major National Associations
like OAAA in the US, COMMB in Canada and OMA
in Australia and host a gathering for them to share
perspectives, common causes and actions at our Annual
Congress each year.
We also hosted the first similar gathering of national
audience research bodies this year which went really well
and both meetings reported back to the main Congress
so the whole industry cam leave the event with a clear
understanding of, and can contribute to, their agendas.
FEPE is also looking at developing a portal for the National
Associations to upload and share data and experience.
Our aim is to subject these to independent expert
review so they can then use the results as necessary to
influence their national and local Governments.
The OOH industry should probably also do more to get
Governments to realise that the medium can drive
revenue for them and provide amenity for citizens. FEPE
may also get involved in the creation of a ‘toolbox’ of
arguments for use in such discussions at the national
level.The advertising industry is a strong votary of self-
regulation. From the FEPE standpoint do you see
any major challenges in promoting self-regulation in
Europe’s OOH industry or elsewhere?Some form of regulation of advertising is necessary.
Not every advertiser is a ‘good actor’ and the online
space is now showing us some of the horrors that arise
in unregulated space.I am convinced that self-regulation is the optimal
solution. It’s independent of political agenda, overseen
by industry experts and far more targetable and agile
than Government intervention can ever be.However, not all Governments see it this way. Europe
and UK are broadly supportive of self-regulation whereas
the US relies much more heavily on the law. Many other
countries are still ‘regulated’ more or less directly by
Government. FEPE represents the OOH industry at the
European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) and the