Association of National Advertisers Congratulates New Congress, Underscores Important Role Advertising Plays in U.S. Economy
WASHINGTON — Following the results of the 2014 election, the Association of National Advertisers released the following statement:
“A political tidal wave swept through our nation’s capital on Tuesday. The Association of National Advertisers congratulates the newly-elected and returning Members of Congress. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress to advance important issues that impact major advertisers across the country who play a large role in driving the U.S. economy. As an industry, advertising is one of the prime movers of the American economy, generating a cascade of economic activity that creates jobs throughout the country. According to IHS Global Insight in 2012, 16 percent of all U.S. employment was related to advertising and the economic activity it drives.
“We knew the results of this election could change the face of Congress, and now that the election is over, it is time to get to work on a range of bipartisan issues. It’s clear that the economy was a key factor in voter’s decisions and ANA stands ready to work with the new Congress and leadership to ensure that the advertising industry continues to be able to play a major role in strengthening the U.S. economy. Against this backdrop, we must focus on the issues that have the potential to impact the economy, businesses and consumers.
“The national debate about inversions has stimulated the debate about reforming the tax code to keep American businesses from moving abroad. It also assures that tax reform will be high on the agenda for the Congress next year. It’s time to focus on true tax reform that closes loopholes and special interest write-offs that limit the competiveness of all businesses and not propose any deductions that could hurt businesses. Advertising should continue to be treated as a cost of doing business and essential to the ability of every company in every industry throughout the U.S. to communicate efficiently and effectively with consumers about their products and services. Any changes to the advertising deduction could severely undermine the economy and put U.S. jobs at risk. We urge Congress to actively oppose any tax on advertising.
“ANA will also be working closely with Congress on online privacy and to monitor ICANN’s continued rollout of new top-level domain names. The advertising industry has played an important role in protecting consumer’s internet privacy and has put consumers in control of the ads they see. The Digital Advertising Alliance icon is served more than a trillion times a month to alert consumers to the use of interest-based ads. More than 37 million unique visitors have visited DAA program Web sites since the launch of the program, and more than 5.2 million unique visitors have exercised choice at www.aboutads.info/choices. Federal legislators must be careful not to stifle the success and growth of online advertising in the push for greater safeguards. ANA will continue to monitor ICANN’s rollout of new top-level domain names to ensure that ICANN has adopted sufficient protections for consumers and brand holders.
“Additionally, ANA will continue to work with Congress on issues related to obesity, especially childhood obesity, which is a major concern. The food and ad communities through the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative are systematically carrying out major programs to combat these dangers and provide healthy options for consumers.
“As the 114th Congress takes shape, we look forward to working with Congress to fully realize the economic benefits of the advertising industry while ensuring win-win solutions for consumers, businesses and the economy.”
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About The ANA
The mission of the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) is to drive growth for marketing professionals, brands and businesses, the industry, and humanity. The ANA serves the marketing needs of 20,000 brands by leveraging the 12-point ANA Growth Agenda, which has been endorsed by the Global CMO Growth Council. The ANA’s membership consists of U.S. and international companies, including client-side marketers, nonprofits, fundraisers, and marketing solutions providers (data science and technology companies, ad agencies, publishers, media companies, suppliers, and vendors). The ANA creates Marketing Growth Champions by serving, educating, and advocating for more than 50,000 industry members that collectively invest more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually.