Nothing Is For Free In A Promotion
The Institute of Sales Promotions recently published a newsletter article on how the government is planning to restrict the use of the word ‘free’ in promotional activities as part of the Unfair Commercial Activities Directive which is due for implementation around May 26th. The directive brings the UK into line with the rest of Europe and means that promotional companies can no longer describe a product or gift as free if it requires the enquirer to part with money for them. The word can be used where samples are free and which do not require any more investment other than the cost of a postage stamp or telephone call. All good stuff and designed to protect the less sophisticated in the market place perhaps. One of my husband’s favourite marketing books discusses advertising in the US from the 1930s onwards and I just wonder what the likes of the some of the early pioneers of direct marketing would make of this.
