In order to ensure that ad content does not appeal to minors, signatories of the RMP have developed a comprehensive exclusion list of over 40 practices and techniques that are likely to be disproportionately appealing to minors. This exclusion list is regularly updated as we continually monitor and fine-tune best practices in order to avoid appealing to minors.
In 2019, the European Advertising Standards Alliance monitored the content of RMP member ads, and 98% of ads monitored did not feature a single element from the exclusion list [1].
[1] Monitored in Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, UK
APPEAL RULES: EXCLUSION LIST
Real characters*
ACTORS
Alcohol Commercial communications must not feature:
- Any actor/model below 25 years old in real life.
In addition, they must not feature:
- School teachers/personnel;
- Child/teenage-related leaders;
- Child-related performers & child-related entertainers;
- Child-related fairy tale characters.
CELEBRITIES
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature:
- Any celebrity whose audience is primarily composed of minors;
- Any celebrity below 25 years old, whenever this celebrity actively and explicitly endorses the brand and is core to the commercial communication in his/her individual capacity.
Fictional characters
HUMAN FICTIONAL CHARACTERS
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature:
- Any fictional character (or any associated elements) whose audience is primarily composed of minors;
- Any fictional character below 25 years old, whenever this character actively and explicitly endorses the brand and is core to the commercial communication in its individual capacity.
ANIMATED / CARTOON CHARACTERS
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature:
- Any animated cartoon character extracted from a piece of work primarily viewed and/or read by minors;
- Any animated cartoon character whose style and design are evidently childish.
Character’s style
DRESS SENSE
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature any dress style and apparel evidently extracted from childish/teenage style, including:
- Any child/teenage-related uniforms;
- Outfits directly inspired by such uniforms.
BEHAVIOUR
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature any evident childish/teenage behaviour, including:
- Bullying;
- Teenage peer pressure;
- Teenage rebellion.
GESTURES
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature any evident childish/teenage behaviour, including:
- Any gestures extracted from child/teenage body language.
Environment
ACTION (storyline)
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature:
- Any visual flashbacks to childhood and/or to adolescence;
- Childish pranks;
- Rites of passage from adolescence to adulthood;
- Teenage/childish challenges;
- Teenage romances/infatuations and ‘first times’.
SETTING (place/time)
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature any childish/teenage-related settings, including:
- Any child-related fairy tales and/or child-related fantasy worlds;
- Schools;
- Child-related attractions, child-related roller coasters, and merry-go-rounds;
- Playgrounds;
- Zoos;
- Skate parks;
- Teen clubs;
- Indoor game arcades accessible to minors;
- Summer camps for minors.
MUSIC
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature:
- Any music of a singer/musician whose audience is composed mainly of minors;
- Any music/song which is primarily listened to by minors;
- Any singer/musician younger than 25 years old when the song explicitly promotes a brand, the band is promoting the brand and the musician in question is core to the commercial communication in her or his individual capacity.
Other
SPORTS
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature:
- Any athletes whose audience is primarily composed of minors;
- Any sports which are primarily followed by minors;
- Any athlete below 25 years old, whenever he/she actively and explicitly endorses the brand and is core to the commercial communication in its individual capacity.
DRAWINGS
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature:
- Any child scribbles or drawings;
- Any drawings the style and design of which are evidently childish.
OBJECTS
Alcohol commercial communications must not feature objects used primarily by children and teenagers including:
- Child-related toys;
- Objects extracted from child/baby tableware sets;
- Dummies;
- School-related objects.
*Consumers appearing in brand promotional communications are not remunerated and therefore should not be considered as characters. Consumers have to be and appear to be over the legal purchase age in a given market.
For more information on the Responsible Marketing Pact, please contact Julia Quintella at rmp@wfanet.org