From local insight to global standard: The ICC guidance on responsable marketing

Within the Belgian ICC Marketing & Advertising Committee bringing together representatives from across the sector, including the Raad voor Reclame, reflections on ethical AI, Meaningful Marketing and platform governance have been consolidated and fed into European and ICC discussions. Complementary expertise was brought in where relevant, and this interplay between local and global is reflected in the ICC guidance.

At a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how campaigns are conceived, produced and delivered, the industry has been seeking a clear and operational framework. Recent reporting shows how quickly investment is shifting toward AI-driven advertising systems, while at the same time raising questions about accountability, performance and brand impact. In that context, the ICC guidance provides much-needed clarity.

Rather than introducing new rules, the guidance builds on the ICC Advertising and Marketing Communications Code   and reaffirms a fundamental principle: the responsibility of marketers does not change with technology. Whether content is created by humans or supported by AI, it must remain legal, decent, honest and truthful. This continuity is key to maintaining trust in a rapidly evolving environment.

Importantly, within the ICC Marketing & Advertising Commission, the guidance is positioned as a living document, designed to evolve alongside technological developments and emerging practices.

The guidance also makes clear that AI does not dilute accountability. Marketers remain fully responsible for the communications they bring to the market, including those generated or supported by AI systems. In the context of increasing automation, this principle is essential.

At the same time, the approach to transparency is deliberately pragmatic. The use of AI does not automatically require disclosure; it becomes necessary where it helps prevent consumer deception. This avoids both over-labelling and under transparency and remains aligned with how the ICC Code assesses the impact of marketing communications on the reasonable consumer.

One of the key strengths of guidance lies in its operational nature. Through practical checklists, it translates principles into concrete questions for organisations and marketers. These cover governance, data integrity, claim substantiation and the protection of vulnerable audiences. As such, the document functions not only as a reference, but as a tool for implementation.

The guidance closely aligns with positions that have been developed within the Belgian ecosystem over recent years: that AI should be integrated within existing ethical frameworks, that human oversight remains essential, and that trust is a driver of long-term effectiveness. It confirms that self-regulation continues to play a key role in a fast-evolving landscape.

For practitioners, this guidance provides a practical compass to navigate the integration of AI into marketing activities. It supports internal governance, facilitates alignment with international standards, and helps organisations engage with partners and regulators in a more structured way.

More broadly, the process behind this publication illustrates how structured collaboration can contribute to global standard-setting. By consolidating local insights and feeding them into European and international discussions, industry stakeholders can help shape frameworks that are both relevant and applicable in practice.

Artificial intelligence is often described as a technological revolution. In marketing, it is also a test: a test of our ability to maintain responsibility in an environment where tools evolve faster than rules. The ICC guidance does not claim to resolve all challenges, but it provides a shared foundation to move forward.

And in a landscape defined by acceleration and complexity, that shared foundation is what ultimately sustains trust.