Marketing Association wins mailbox reprieve

1 July 2005

Marketing Association wins mailbox reprieve

The Marketing Association has signed a memorandum of understanding with three Auckland Councils (Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney) to develop a code of practice governing the distribution of mailbox advertising. This will give Marketing Association members a 12-month immunity from prosecution under the new Waste Management bylaw whilst the new code is being developed and implemented.

“This is a victory for common sense,” said Marketing Association chief executive, Keith Norris. “There’s no question that we support what the Councils are trying to achieve, but we were concerned at the thought of potentially being governed by as many as 86 local body bylaws. If each Council in New Zealand had come up with its own solution, it would have been chaotic.”

The agreement reached between the Marketing Association and the three local Councils will enable the industry to develop a national code of practice which will require unaddressed mail distributors to respect “No circulars” signs on mailboxes. It is expected that the code will be supported by all the major advertisers using this medium, including retailers and real estate agencies. The Councils have agreed that if the code proves successful, they will revoke the mailbox advertising bylaw in favour of self-regulation.

“New Zealand has a good track record when it comes to self-regulation,” says Norris. “We have an excellent example in the Advertising Standards Authority which governs the standards of all advertising in this country.

Self-regulation is cheaper, quicker, more flexible and, most important of all, more accessible to the public when compared to legislation.”

ENDS

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