Advertising in the Philippines

INTRODUCTION

D

irection setting for advertising practices in the country is undertaken by the Advertising Board of the Philippines (Adboard) which very recently organized the 20th Asian Advertising Congress or AdAsia Manila '97. For the occassion, Adboard secured the issuance of Predidential Proclamation No. 928 declaring November 1997 as Asian Advertising Month. AdAsia is a biennial event of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) of which Adboard is a member. The Philippines has already contributed at least two chairmen to the AFAA: Antonio de Joya (1978-1986), and Divino M. Villanueva Jr. (1996 to the present).

ADBOARD PRIMER

To foster broader understanding of its role in Philippine advertising, Adboard recently released the following primer:

• What is the Advertising Board of the Philippines?

  The Advertising Board of the Philippines or Adboard is a governing body composed of representatives of national organizations involved in advertising practice who have banded together to promote the development of the advertising industry through self-regulation, in harmony with industry goals. The Adboard is the umbrella organization of the advertising industry.

• What national organizations compose the Adboard?

  The sectoral members of the Adboard are: the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA), the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies-Philippines (4As), the Print Media Organization (PRIMO), the Independent Block Timers Association of the Philippines (IBA), the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP), the Cinema Advertising Association of the Philippines (CAAP), the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP), and the Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philippines (MORES).

• How was the organization formed?

  The Adboard, then the Philippine Board of Advertising, was the result of a series of meetings in 1973 by leading advertisers and advertising practitioners who strongly felt the need for a body to unify all sectors involved in the industry and gear their operations toward the common goal of serving the interests of the consumers and the nation at large. It was constituted with the official encouragement of the Department of Public Information (DPI). The Board was incorporated on May 3, 1974.

• How does the Adboard intend to regulate the conduct and behavior of advertising practitioners?

  The Adboard has adopted a Code of Ethics which was originally drawn up by representatives of the member- associations, in consultation with the Bureau of Standards for Mass Media under the DPI in 1973. The member-associations, all in accord with the principle of industry self-regulation, are commited to observe the provisions of the Code.

  In addition, the Adboard is guided by the Advertising Content Regulation Manual of Procedures and the Standards of Trade Practices and Conduct Manual which serves to keep advertising within correct, ethical, and wholesome bounds, and help to assure professional advertising practice. The Code and Manuals are tools to upgrade the standards of advertising practice in the country.

  The Code and Manuals are "live mechanisms" and are subject to periodic revisions toward improvement, even as the practices that they cover are themselves constantly reviewed and refined.