Six Nations Rugby: Gain advantage over the competition
The infamous Guinness Six Nations begins on 1st February and it is crucial that any marketing campaigns your brand or agency is planning to run around the six week long rugby championship, are aligned with the local laws and compliance for each nation.
Our overseas legal expert, Tallulah Grace, has provided us with a brief breakdown of the regulations that you need to be aware of, but of course these are just a fraction of the rules. If you’re interested in finding out the full facts about each nation get in touch with PromoVeritas and our Legal Team can scope out a full legal review for you to outline all of the laws, the risks and the dos and don’ts in markets of your choice.
Italy
- Prize draws linked or not linked to purchase may be run, but the winner(s) must be selected in Italy by the authorities
- All promotions must be submitted to the authorities (registered) at least 15 days before the promotion goes live or before the start of the marketing.
- The promoter must be an Italian company
- The promoter must pay tax on the value of the prize/s at 45% (the cost of VAT and a further 25%)
- No social media promotions at all, as the servers for all the platforms are outside of Italy
Scotland
- Promotions are considered irresponsible if they involve the supply of an alcoholic drink free of charge or at a reduced price on the purchase of one or more drinks.
- You cannot offer rewards for drinking alcohol or offering alcohol as a reward unless the alcoholic product is in a sealed container.
- The digital marketing of alcohol is regulated by CAP and Portman Codes in particular, it should only be promoted in media where at least 75% of the audience is over 18.
Ireland
- Prize Draws linked to purchase are fine to run in ROI but under national law, will require a lottery licence.
- The licence application must be made 28 days in advance of the promotion. Applications are only heard every Wednesday, so a minimum of 6 weeks lead time is prudent.
Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland requires an NPN (no purchase necessary route).
- This should offer equal chances of winning, e.g. if you allow people to make one entry per day via the normal route, NI residents must each be able to submit one free entry per day.
France
- Alcohol promotions are not permitted
- It is fine to run a Prize Draws linked or not linked to purchase
- Terms and Conditions must be in French
- It is recommended to register any promotional Terms & Conditions with a Huissier de Justice however, this is not a legal requirement.
- Any information collected from entrants is subject to French data protection laws. Additionally, you may trigger copyright laws in cases where the promoter seeks to redistribute or re-publish some of the information collected in the promotion.
Wales
The same relaxed self-regulation that applies to England applies to Wales when it comes to advertising and marketing. Always bear in mind that all promotions run in Wales must follow the CAP Code, Consumer Protection Regulation, Gambling Law, social media guidelines and the rules about marketing alcohol.
The Organiser’s rules
As well as the rules for the individual nations, don’t forget the rules about marketing during a big sports event like the Six Nations. If you are not an official sponsor do not imply that you are and beware of using official images, logos and endorsements without permission.
If you want to find out more about running campaigns connected to major sports events such as the Six Nations, The Olympics or the Euros come along to our free Breakfast Briefing, an informal session where our experts will present all about the rules and best practice for Running Sporting Campaigns on Wednesday 26th February 2019 at Langan’s Brasserie, London W1 from 8-10.30am.