A total of 9,688 submissions were made to CopyClear last year, according to its 2020 annual report. This represents a 1% decrease on the number reviewed in 2021.
Of those considered and assessed, 6,567 of them were compliant, an approval rate of 68%, with 1,606 (17%) non-compliant and therefore not published or broadcast. These figures compare with a 71% approval and 16% non-approval rate in 2021.
CopyClear is the industry body that offers a pre-vetting service for marketing communications related to alcohol. Pre-vetting is necessary to ensure that all marketing communications is in compliance with the strict self-regulatory code of the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) which states that alcohol related communications should be consistent with responsible consumption and not appeal to children or encourage them to drink.
“Submissions in 2022 were 9,688 and practically on a par with 2021. Digital communication submissions remain high at 47%. One of the positive impacts of Covid 19 has been an increase in the number of Client meetings. During 2022, the Managers held over 60 Client meetings via Zoom, discussing both micro and macro issues, questions and campaigns, something that was more difficult to achieve with in-person meetings due to convenience and the time commitment they required,” says Caroline Sleiman, chair of CopyClear.
According to the annual report 1,324 of the submissions were related to Irish creative agencies, while 590 were related to Irish media agencies. A further 3,242 involved Irish digital agencies. In addition, 1,026 related to brand owners. Overseas agencies, including media and creative, accounted for another 1,094 submissions.