UPL «Central Asian Advertising Association» (CAAA) has sent an open letter to the President of Kazakhstan requesting to ensure equal participation of experts in the discussion and formation of legal initiatives.
In the letter, it is reported that representatives of the media and advertising market are extremely concerned about the legislative initiatives under discussion concerning restrictions on the advertising sector.
This concerns a potential ban in the media on displaying the placing of bets, for example, on the outcome of sporting events, as well as ceasing advertising of over-the-counter medications. Experts note that such innovations would deprive the advertising and media market of 25-30% of revenue.
At the same time, the authors of the letter reasonably observe that an advertiser can always choose an alternative — using internet platforms to promote goods and services. For instance, pirated online cinemas or social networks fall outside Kazakh jurisdiction, meaning complete control is impossible. The advertising budget will shift from Kazakh to foreign distributors of advertising — that is the whole result.
“Such a process will not only deprive our country’s budget of part of its tax revenues but will also contribute to removing a number of categories of goods and services from Kazakhstan’s legal framework, and the audience from the national media space.”
Furthermore, it is noted that advertising largely shapes the consumer behaviour of the audience, and therefore, in the event of its restriction, the losses will not only be measured in figures.
“The content environment, including television, radio, and the internet, is both a communicative institution and an ideological ‘carrier’.”
The appeal is dominated by the idea of creating a self-regulating professional community as a foundation for forming a liberal media market.
“Any communicative institution requires control, but it is important that this control is exercised and formed at the level of professional associations of market participants, who possess sufficient experience and knowledge to responsibly assess the consequences of legislative changes.”
Indeed, the creation of an independent media market, which experts insist on, is an extremely important and entirely justified issue. On the other hand, there is also a certain degree of mistrust regarding the sincerity of intentions here — we do not know for sure what goals the authors of the appeal are pursuing.