National Debate on Advertising: Towards a Legal and Ethical Framework Protecting Consumers and Encouraging Creativity
Work has commenced in Casablanca for the First National Debate on Advertising, organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication, featuring experts, professionals, and media stakeholders. The aim is to discuss the current state of the national advertising market and explore ways to develop it based on creativity, transparency, and responsibility.
Participants emphasized the sector’s urgent need for a comprehensive reform of the legal and regulatory framework that ensures consumer protection from misleading advertisements, keeps pace with digital transformations, and fosters local creativity in advertising content.
During one of the sessions, Salim Sheikh, General Director of Channel 2 “2M”, highlighted that “around 70 percent of the advertising market in Morocco is not subject to any legal framework,” deeming this regulatory void a necessity for updating legislation to ensure fair competition and sector qualification.
On her part, Ilajah Zawah, Advertising Development Director at TV5 Monde, noted that the European experience of prior monitoring of advertisements represents a “successful model that can be drawn from,” stressing the importance of regulating advertising content in line with cultural and social values of society.
Meanwhile, intellectual property law expert Ilyas Khrouz asserted that advertising is “more than just a commercial activity; it is a fundamental pillar in cultural and creative industries,” calling for the establishment of a national unified body to regulate the sector and enhance trust between advertisers and the public.
The debate concluded with a commitment to the future challenge of building a responsible and transparent advertising market that contributes to economic development while upholding ethical values, achieved through an effective institutional partnership between the state, professionals, and media institutions.
