The International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS) announced that BBB National Programs won the ICAS Globe Award for Best Sectoral Initiative for its Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC).
The DSSRC was recognized for its use of technology to remain proactive in a fast-paced industry, its adoptable monitoring and enforcement model for other countries with strong direct selling markets, and its overall effectiveness both in claim volume and success in maximizing available resources.
Launched in 2019, the DSSRC is a self-regulation program administered by the BBB National Programs and developed to promote truth and transparency in the direct selling industry including an effective proactive monitoring of the marketplace. During 2019-2020, DSSRC results included:
- 10 cases referred to the Federal Trade Commission for non-response/non-compliance with inquiries
- 39 public case decisions
- 330 COVID-tagged posts
- 180 administratively closed cases, and
- Almost 50,000 unique URLs reviewed for potential infractions
“This recognition of DSSRC’s success in partnership with DSA demonstrates that there is potential for a globally adoptable model for the direct selling industry to self-regulate in any democratic country in the world,” said Peter Marinello, Vice President, Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council, BBB National Programs. “In the US, the dissemination of truthful and accurate earnings claims for direct-selling companies has become an imperative and we appreciate the recognition by ICAS and its international, independent jury of the success of our efforts to promote truth and transparency in the direct selling industry.”
ICAS was established in 2008 by the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) to provide a forum for facilitating information exchange and discussion of best practices between advertising Self-Regulatory Organizations (SROs) around the world. In 2016, ICAS members decided to formalize their cooperation and to establish a new, independent platform, with dedicated resources and staff. Founding members agreed that the new platform would unite national SROs, regional SRO associations and international industry associations to form a powerful Council with the aim of not only of sharing best practices, but also of facilitating the establishment of new SROs in emerging markets and of working on solutions to the global challenges faced by the advertising industry.
The objective of the ICAS Awards is to promote best practices among SROs worldwide by highlighting and rewarding successful initiatives that contribute to responsible marketing practices, more ethical standards in advertising, and a more effective and impactful self-regulatory system. The Best Sectoral Initiative category was looking for an initiative that is:
1) effective with tangible results,
2) innovative and unprecedented,
3) relevant on a global stage, and
4) efficient, making optimal use of available resources.