3 simple tricks to help you avoid marketing compliance violations

For creative marketers, regulations may prove to be nothing more than a pain in the backside. The endless back and forth between marketing and legal is enough to drive any marketer up the wall. But still, the fact remains that compliance standards exist to give effect to the law, and failing to comply could cost your business its clients, public reputation and bring financial devastation (click here to read how paint maker Dulux was recently slapped with a $400k fine for misleading claims). Luckily, we’re here to save the day – these are our top three tips for avoiding compliance violations.

Foster a compliant culture

Regulatory compliance not only protects your business, but also protects your customers. The law functions to protect customers from unethical marketing practices – one regulatory slip up and your company or business could suffer irreparable damage to its public profile. The importance of compliance should be expressed from the top down, and it should be the responsibility of each employee to ensure that all creative work is within the bounds of the relevant regulatory framework.

Put yourself in your customers shoes

Imagine you were a potential customer seeing your advertisement for the first time – your message needs to be clear, understandable and free from misleading or deceptive statements. If something seems fishy about the ad or if there’s a chance some suspicious inferences could be drawn, it’s time to revise your work. You should always be comfortable enough with your creative that you’d be okay with advertising it to your grandmother.

Systems and processes

Because of the massive implications posed by violations, you should ensure that your organisation has appropriate mechanisms in place for signing-off on each piece that goes live. This doesn’t always mean consulting your own (or hiring a new) legal team either. General Counsels have too much on their plate every day to be bogged down by routine regulatory oversight. Emerging legal tech companies like Law of the Jungle are creating innovative solutions for marketing compliance – allowing your company to tackle compliance at the bottom level so that your team can proactively pursue their regulatory obligations without reverting to fruitless back-and-forth  with the legal department. Side note: it could also save your company a ton of money and many man-hours.

Whether your marketing department is large, mid-size or small, the law applies indiscriminately. By making compliance a company priority you can ensure that your risk of violation is at a minimum, that your clients continue to trust you and that your public image remains intact.