Between the lines: Wag right in debate over ads

As a wag once said: Advertising is like marriage. There may be a better way, but what is it?

The Labour Government tried to answer that riddle in 2000, spooking the the ad/marketing industry by floating the idea that advertising to children should be scaled back or banned outright; reviewing the advertising of pharmaceuticals; hinting at tighter control of therapeutics advertising, and mooting the labelling of all alcohol with dire public health warnings.

All of which had the industry feeling distinctly picked on.

Debates over advertising parallel many of the quandaries for our left-leaning Government. Business is valuable, but how far should commercial imperatives go before they impinge on the rights of society's more vulnerable citizens? Who plays referee?

The argument about advertising to children set a shrill debating tone. A conference could not even reach consensus on what age constituted childhood. What emerged, unsurprisingly, was that there is no substitute for good parenting. The broadcast media seem keen to stay onside with parents and are governed by a fairly hefty set of advertising standards.

The problem is probably more one of saturating children with cheap, imported programmes, such as Pokemon or Dragonball Z, which are half-hour advertisements for mass-produced merchandise.

The debate over direct-to-consumer pharmaceuticals is still more emotive. The only clear truth seems to be that a Government drug-buying agency with wide powers, Pharmac, and a sector with fairly free range to hawk drugs do not sit comfortably together.

It would help if pharmaceutical companies admitted that their over-riding imperative is commercial. Insisting that prescription drug advertising is a public service aggravates and patronises.

But some compromise with reality by Pharmac would also help. Pharmac opposes any drug advertising, saying it is not necessary.

Nor is advertising for commemorative teaspoons, but people still have a right to sell them in a free market.

In 2001, the trickle of direct advertising of pharmaceuticals could become a torrent. Ditto advertising to children.

It is good that the Government cares. But it is fruitless to go back to the drawing board to debate whether types of advertising should exist.

They are here to stay.