Corporate Members Code of Conduct

When becoming a corporate member of the Association, the company agrees to the code of conduct described below.

1. The manner of promotion and conducting business by a company or by members of that company must never be such as to bring discredit upon, or reduce confidence in, the industry.
2. Information about products must be accurate, balanced and must not mislead either directly or by implication.
3. Statements must be capable of substantiation, such substantiation being provided without delay at the requests of customers.
4. Claims for a product must be on the most recent evaluation of all the evidence and must reflect this evidence accurately and clearly.
5. The word “new” should not be used to describe any product which has been generally promoted in the UK for more than twelve months.
6. Comparisons of products must be factual, fair and capable of substantiation. In presenting a comparison, care must be taken to ensure that it does not mislead by distortion, by undue emphasis, or in any other way.
7. The brand names, products or services of other companies should not be disparaged either directly or by implication.
8. Only gifts in the form of articles designed as promotional aids may be distributed to members of the profession and only then provided the gift is inexpensive and relevant.
9. Entertainment or other hospitality offered to members of the profession for the purpose of sales promotion should always be secondary to the main purpose of the meeting. The level of hospitality should be appropriate and not out of proportion to the occasion: its cost should not exceed that level which the recipients might normally adopt when paying for themselves.
10. Questions or questionnaires intended to solicit disparaging references to competitive products or companies must be avoided.

 

The assistance of the A.B.P.I. in the formulation of these guidelines is gratefully acknowledged.