The government has today announced plans to change its advertising rules, which will see the introduction of an "exclusivity" guideline, allowing a single brand to be a partner or sponsor of departmental campaigns such as Change4Life.
The government did admit that every deal would need senior managerial sign-off, and that ‘departments must ensure that they are not limiting the scope or reach that a multiplicity of partners would deliver’.
Government would also not need to match the funding provided by partners, which will allow it to carry out work majority funded by external organisations.
As part of the changes, the government would also not need to inform all rivals if a brand contacts it with a strategy for marketing, the way it previously had to. The government suggested that by removing this, it might make potential partners more likely to come forward, as before they would have known their strategy would have been shared with their rivals.
Alex Aiken, executive director of government communications, said in a statement: “Partnerships with organisations in the private and charity sector have produced some of the most creative and powerful Government campaigns, and we will do all we can to encourage these collaborations. The opportunity for partners is clear – helping government answer interesting and large-scale communication challenges, and in turn, government can access audiences in new ways.”
“Examples of other previous partnerships include the collaboration with Coca-Cola on the THINK! Drink Drive campaign targeting drivers over the festive season. For five consecutive years, the “Designated Driver” campaign has rewarded drivers by offering a “buy-one-get-one-free” on Coca-Cola in participating pubs and bars, providing drivers with an incentive to make the right decision and avoid drink driving.
“Another long running campaign, Fire Kills has halved the number of accidental deaths in the home since being founded in 1988. The effectiveness of the campaign depends on collaboration with the fire and rescue services to make best use of owned and earned media, particularly local newspaper and radio coverage using local stories. There are also a growing number of commercial partners ranging from smoke alarm manufacturers to superstores who all help spread the Fire Kills message.”
The Planning and Delivering Effective Partnership Communication Strategies guidance was published by the Government Communications Network.