CAN: Ensuring the ethics catch up with the technology of modern advertising

By Martin Jones

We continue to support and be part of the Conscious Advertising Network (CAN), the voluntary coalition of over 150 organisations set up to ensure that industry ethics catches up with the technology of modern advertising. This initiative was most recently highlighted at the COP26 summit where CAN were behind an open letter calling on global leaders and technology platforms to take action on climate misinformation. This followed a similar project in the wake of the abuse received by England footballers after their penalty shoot-out loss at this summer’s Euro tournament, where the major social networks were asked to do "more to make their platforms safe" by combatting online discrimination and racism. For our own part, we clearly see that the competitive pitch represents a unique opportunity for clients and brand owners to reset their own internal processes and requirements. With this in mind, we’re encouraging all clients to reference CAN as a key requirement in their pitch briefs. Further information on this important initiative can be found on the CAN website. ■