Regulatory compliance in marketing
In regulated sectors the copy is decided not by a creative director but by regulation. For food supplements and cosmetics the list of permitted claims is closed, and what competitors routinely print on their packaging is often over the line. A fine is unpleasant, pulping a print run is more expensive — and worst of all is finding out after the campaign has launched.
What we deliver
- Assessing advertising claims for food supplements, cosmetics and healthcare
- Separating permitted from prohibited claims under EU and national law
- Reviewing copy for both the Czech and Slovak markets, where the rules differ
- Preparing approval documentation for DTP and trade partners
- Separating communication for professionals from communication for the public
- Reviewing packaging, leaflets and web copy before print and launch
- Alternative wording where the original claim cannot pass
The competition is not the benchmark
The most common argument in a regulated sector is “but the competition prints it too”. The problem is that much of the market does not comply and regulators inspect selectively. That something is commonly written does not make it permissible.
So we assess the copy against the regulation, not against what others do. The result is usually a soberer claim — and an argument that holds up when an inspection arrives.
Czechia and Slovakia are not one market
Companies routinely run both countries under one campaign and translate the copy one to one. But national rules differ — in what must be stated and in what may not be claimed. A message that passes in Czechia can be a problem in Slovakia, and the reverse.
So we review both language versions separately, not as a translation. It is one of the few areas where translation is not possible; it has to be assessed again.
What the review is not
We are not a law firm and our opinion is not a legal assessment. It is a professional review of marketing communication by people who have worked in the sector for years and know where the problems usually are.
For contested cases and high-exposure claims we recommend a legal opinion, and are glad to prepare the material so a lawyer can turn it around quickly. Pretending we replace that would not serve the client.
Frequently asked
- When should the review happen?
- Before layout, not after. Copy reviewed at concept stage is fixed in minutes; copy reviewed after typesetting means redoing the artwork, and after printing it means pulping the run. For campaigns that means before the shoot, not before launch.
- Can we have only the copy reviewed and run the campaign ourselves?
- Yes, plenty of clients with their own marketing teams do exactly that. The review is a self-contained job with a written output — a position on each claim and, where needed, alternative wording. It is not tied to any further work together.
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