News
This section we will give you the latest information about the National Advertising Review Board and the advertising self-regulatory system as a whole. You can also expect to find information concerning your fellow board members, recently published papers or upcoming events that would be of interest to those who have a stake in advertising self-regulation.

Panel Update
This section will summarize the recently decided NARB Appeal Panels and will list the NARB members who served as panelists. We will have some of those members provide feedback from their experience, which will be very helpful to those who have yet to sit on a panel.

NARB Member Corner
This is where NARB members will have the opportunity to contribute to this publication and speak to the rest of the board about issues regarding advertising self-regulation and the NARB.

NARB Board List
In this section we will publish the current board list of the NARB. We will have a section thanking those who have finished their terms or are leaving the NARB for other reasons. We will also welcome new members (who are officially voted on to the Board at the end of each year by NARC.)

Voluntary industry compliance is a corner stone of successful self-regulation. The NARB represents the peer review part of this voluntary system and it is important that you are well informed and involved in the process. We trust that this publication will help to serve that purpose while at the same time enriching your experience as NARB board members. I would welcome your comments and suggestions that would help this publication be of maximum service

Thank you,
Howard Bell
Chair, NARB

White Paper on Food Advertising Self-Regulation
Demand for The Guidance for Food Advertising Self-Regulation, a white paper published by the National Advertising Review Council, continues to grow. The white paper, which is available at www.NARCPartners.org, was developed with the help of an ad hoc NARB advisory panel chaired by Howard Bell, NARB Chair, before being published.

Advertising Week in NYC
During the highly successful Advertising Week in NYC NARC conducted a Workshop presenting an overview of the self-regulatory system to a packed room at the Millennium Broadway Hotel. Agency NARB Board Member Andy Fletcher of Fletcher Martin Ewing, gave an informative and entertaining presentation about his impressions of the NARB process, the system as a whole and the advertising industries need for effective self-regulation. Planning for the ‘05 program has already begun. (For more info about Advertising Week ‘05 visit www.advertisingweeknyc.com)

Decision: A hearing was held at the New York offices of the NARB, where representatives of UEP, COK and NAD made presentations to a panel of NARB members regarding the case. Following the hearing the panel reached a unanimous decision finding that UEP's seal program could communicate a misleading message with regard to the level of treatment given to egg laying hens, and therefore asked that UEP either discontinue its use of the seal or modify it to more clearly communicate the guidelines that the seal represents.

The following members served on NARB Panel #122:

• Alice Kendrick (Chair) - Southern Methodist University
• Chris Pulleyn - Buck & Pulleyn, Inc.
• Michael Scherb - PSE&G
• David May - Goldman, Sachs & Company
• Phyllis G. Woolley-Roy - AstraZeneca USA

NARB Panel #123
Background: The NAD recommended discontinuance of numerous performance claims made by Thane International, Inc. ("Thane") in its advertising for the True Sleeper mattress topper. This case originally arose from a challenge filed by three mattress manufacturers (Aero Products International, Inc.; the Select Comfort Corporation; and Tempur-Pedic, Inc.). Thane disagreed with NAD's recommendation and appealed the decision to the NARB.

Decision: Representatives from the NAD, Thane and Select Comfort participated in the appeal hearing. After analyzing the case record and considering each party’s position at the hearing, the NARB upheld the NAD, finding that there was insufficient substantiation to support Thane's performance claims.

The following members served on NARB Panel #122:

• Andrew Fletcher (Chair) - Fletcher Martin Ewing
• C.P. Robinson - Johnson & Johnson
• James Kelly - Combe Incorporated
• Robert Stowe - Wendy's International

Dennis Yao, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and NARB Public Member, is developing a research project and teaching a class section related to self-regulation at the university this coming spring. This is part of an effort designed to grow an interest at HBS (both teaching and research) in business environment and strategy as it relates to self-regulation. Through this project Dennis will be examining how firms engage in the self-regulatory process and hopes to extend the research from advertising to other areas.

If you are interested in contributing to the Member’s Corner please contact Bruce Hopewell at 212-705-0114 or email bhopewell@narb.bbb.org