It may sound almost Orwellian today, but Linda Nagel remembers clearly the time when Canadian advertisers had to practically jump through hoops to get their messages approved.
“With alcoholic beverage ads, the agencies had to send their ideas to the CRTC two weeks in advance of a meeting, where they would be reviewed, and then they didn’t hear back until a week later,” she said. “They had to send mountains of ideas just to get one back. It was just such a challenging, cumbersome system.”
Nagel’s work in moving advertising away from that system to one based on self-regulation is why she will be given the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA) Gold Medal for her tenure as president of Advertising Standards of Canada (ASC). Nagel will be formally presented with the ACA Gold Medal at the Marketing Awards on June 2 at the Carlu.
“Under Nagel’s watch, ASC affirmed its mandate and rebranded to focus on the fundamentals of responsible advertising self-regulation,” the ACA said in a statement. “(This included) overhauling the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards to ensure its continued relevancy, embraced transparency in consumer complaints reporting and launched major public awareness campaigns, cementing ASC’s position as a self-regulatory body respected by consumers, industry and government.”
Nagel said her achievements during 20 years at the ASC’s reflect that brands have become far more cognizant of consumer’s high expectations around truth and fairness in the way advertising is conducted. An example is the ASC’s recently-published report of public complaints.
“At the end of the day if someone tells you to stop at a red light, you don’t really want to do it,” she pointed out. “It requires discipline, commitment and a mature industry. People have to be ready to buy into the values and principles of effective self-regulation.”
According to ASC research, Nagel said, about half of Canadians believe advertising actually helps shape society. That’s a responsibility that only becomes greater as the digital channels to distribute ads become more varied and complex. Nagel suggested marketing leaders be consistent and clear in their approach as they respond to the challenges in front of them.
“You have to have a vision and an idea, and you have to have the desire and the ability to build consensus,” she said.
Nagel announced her impending departure from ASC late last year. Taking over her role is Jani Yates, who Monday morning announced she would be leaving her post as president of The Institute of Communication Agencies at the end of the month.
