Commercial communication in the era of sobriety: tax advertising to consume differently

The Communication and Democracy association and the Veblen Institute published a report entitled “Commercial communication in the era of sobriety. Tax advertising to consume differently”.

It delivers unpublished figures on the economic impact of advertising, which show the incompatibility of the current model with the objectives of sobriety and ecological transformation. The report also makes recommendations, in particular for proactive tax policies relating to marketing communication expenditure, including a ban on advertising for the most harmful products, services and industries.

"Certain sectors and types of products, notably those with a very high carbon footprint or a negative impact on public health, should not be included in the tax logic. For these products in particular, public interest calls for a ban on access to the commercial communication market, as it does for cigarettes in many countries around the world, or sweetened drinks in Singapore. This applies to products such as the fossil fuel industry, individual internal combustion vehicles (including hybrids), air travel, and food products with a Nutri-Score of D or E (plus C for products intended for children). These legal bans, which focus on a limited number of especially harmful products, should not hinder the deliberate steps taken by certain media firms to encourage eco-friendly products to access to their spaces, particularly those identified in conjunction with the ADEME."

Find the full report here (in French) and English.