WOMMA UK

Social media ethics are back on the news as the government has announced that Reg Bailey, Chief Executive of charity Mother's Union, has been commissioned to chair an independent review into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood in Britain. This will include an examination of "online marketing to children" through social media, brand ambassadorships and other buzz-associated tactics, and resonates with Mother's Union's recent Bye Buy Childhood campaign.

Children are of course already protected in the UK under the ASA's CAP Code for advertisers, recently extended to cover some elements of social media marketing. The IAB have a great guide if you're still confused about what, exactly, this covers. WOMMA UK members also benefit from a free phone call with our legal partners ReACTS, Reed Smith's advertising compliance team, who can highlight any high risk areas you might be worried about.

But much of this debate will lie in the shady realm of ethics rather than actual law. Some of our member companies (such as the one I work for) opt out of direct WOM marketing to kids; others, as WOMMA's case studies demonstrate, find great success with carefully moderated campaigns.We would advise any marketer looking to engage with kids and teens to be extra cautious: to understand the law, to check that they are being blatantly transparent about the motivations and conditions of their engagement (remind yourselves of the WOMMA Ethics Code and add a factor of ten) and to involve parents and guardians in the strategy. 

But what do you think? Does even the slightest brand approach contribute to the commercialisation of our kids? Or have you seen WOM campaigns that harness their passion without exploiting their youth?