Gift Cards & Expiry Dates: Consumer Protection BC Uses Video to Describe the Rules

I am always interested in innovation and trends, both in marketing generally and in relation to my own practice.  Lawyers can, well, be rather slow to embrace change.  In this regard, I’ve been seeing a continued trend toward video, both on the web generally – for example in this interesting Globe note this morning: Need more proof of the power of video on the web? Here it is – as well as with my own clients, colleagues (well some of them at least) and more recently enforcement agencies in Canada and Internationally.

Following this trend, several enforcement agencies using video have caught my eye including this short (but good) Consumer Protection BC video on expiry dates and gift cards this morning: A Consumer Question About Gift Cards and a video contest being used by the RCMP to promote drug prevention awareness.

These Canadian examples of enforcers using video also reminded me of the recent excellent cartel compliance video by the Australian ACCC – The Marker – a short film produced by the ACC to illustrate the potentially significant effects that involvement in a cartel can have on individuals and businesses (see: ACCC gets on the front foot with cartels film ‘The Marker’) and this series of price-fixing videos uploaded to YouTube by the Singapore Competition Commission – see: here.

It seems to me this is a good trend for lawyers and enforcers and that we’ll probably see a lot more like them down the road.

For more on gift card, contest and cartel laws in Canada see: Gift Cards, Contests and Cartels.

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I am a Toronto competition/antitrust lawyer and advertising/marketing lawyer who helps clients in Toronto, Canada and the US practically navigate Canada’s advertising and marketing laws and offers Canadian advertising/marketing law services in relation to print, online, new media, social media and e-mail marketing.

My Canadian advertising/marketing law services include advice in relation to: anti-spam legislation (CASL); Competition Bureau complaints; the general misleading advertising provisions of the federal Competition Act; Internet, new media and social media advertising and marketing; promotional contests (sweepstakes); and sales and promotions. I also provide advice relating to specific types of advertising issues, including performance claims, testimonials, disclaimers, drip pricing, astroturfing and native advertising.

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