Ethics Policy Committee Thought Leadership

As trust fractures globally, consumers expect businesses to lead with ethics. Insights from the ANA Ethics Policy Committee and the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer reveal why ethical leadership now defines brand credibility.

The Cannabis Media Council shared how its multi-channel campaigns and evolving guidelines normalize cannabis use, unlock mainstream media opportunities, and promote responsible, research-backed advertising across generations.

The 2025 National Customer Rage Survey reveals an all-time high in customer problem experiences at 74 percent, with nearly $888 billion in revenue at risk due to ineffective complaint handling and growing customer incivility.

An analysis of how brands can navigate consumer outrage and declining institutional trust while maintaining authentic purpose-driven initiatives. Author Anne Bahr Thompson examined how to transform the current consumer backlash into opportunities for meaningful engagement and trust rebuilding.

During a session at an August 2024 meeting of ANA’s Ethics Policy Committee, Lauren White of VDX.tv offered guidance for preserving brand safety, offering tips that were especially relevant for companies operating in regulated industries.

Representatives from Google outlined the tech giant’s approach to responsible AI and ad content disclosures — highlighting potential issues with efforts to mitigate deception.

At a May 2024 meeting of the ANA’s Ethics Policy Committee, the Cannabis Media Council shared its mission and the seven principles that it has crafted to guide cannabis advertising and advocacy on behalf of that advertising.

Ryan Phelan, CEO at RPE Origin, discussed what’s on the horizon for email and how you can align your strategies and best practices for responsible email marketing.

Google shared its principles for responsible AI, how it implements the technology in its advertising products, and what it believes could be on the horizon for AI regulation.

Dentsu’s Gaurav Gupta shared tips on how companies can effectively communicate sustainability efforts and use their marketing to encourage consumers to embrace more eco-friendly habits in their daily lives.

ANA’s Senny Boone and Lisa Brown Shosteck explained results from the 2022 ANA Ethics Compliance Report, covering issues handled by the staff and Ethics Review Committee involving all modes of marketing — direct mail, digital advertising, and email.

Consumers' right to control data sharing is one of the key principles of privacy regulation, from GDPR to CPRA. In this video, hear about research on privacy compliance among the Fortune 100, including root causes and ways to remediate, and regulatory implications for affected firms.

In this video, DAA and business leaders shared more about the certification process it recently launched to ensure responsible deployment of such identifiers in the marketplace and next steps in building consumer trust while safeguarding the core functionality of our advertising ecosystem.

In this session, learn how ABINBEV, the world’s leading brewer, is committed to accelerating continued progress toward the reduction of harmful consumption of alcohol worldwide.

The FTC shared data on a developing trend in frauds perpetrated on social media.

At a meeting of the ANA’s Ethics Policy Committee in February of 2022, data broker Will Clayton shared approaches for maintaining compliance with recent and emerging regulations regarding consumer data.

Location Sciences described some emergent challenges to marketers’ use of location data.