Advertising your health & wellness business.

​20+ years a dietitian and I can’t endorse your product, yet your unqualified influencer can. And other intricacies of the Therapeutic & Health Advertising code.

​Well, the quest to find out a bit more detail on whether health & wellness businesses can use testimonials or not, what the difference between a testimonial and a review is, and can we use either continues.  

​I spent last week bouncing emails back and forth to the media department at Ministry of Health, and am starting to get a bit more detail than the standard “go read the Acts” answer. Hopefully more by the next blog.
 
I’m starting with the Therapeutic & Health Advertising Code (T&HAC) because it’s actually quite easy to read, and contains a wealth of rather interesting information. 

(Again, remember this is a PSA and not legal advice.)

Freebie download alert

Please read to the end, but if you're in a real hurry - here's the freebie download thing-y.
I've put together a two page checklist for you to measure your website, blog or social media site against the T&HAC. To give you piece of mind and take away future stress. ​

Get your download now

What’s the T&HAC all about

As it says on the packet, the goal of the T&HAC is to ensure that advertisers (oh, yeah, that means you) maintain rigorous standards in therapeutic and health advertising. 

Health and wellbeing can be a highly emotional area to work in. Clients often come to us confused, traumatised, and at the ends of their patience. They're vulnerable. We can't take advantage of that.

Does the Code apply to me?

Straight from the Code … “This Code covers all words and visual depictions in all advertising for therapeutic products (medicines and medical devices), natural health products and dietary supplements, health services and methods of treatment.”
 
So if you’re advertising one of these in your business, then … yes. This is for you.

What’s an “advert”?

The ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) defines an advert as any message designed to influence the choice or behaviour of the reader its' aimed at.

The New Zealand Medical Association clarifies this further by also listing websites and directory listings. 

I'd add into that that you need to remember your blogs and social media posts too.  Why?  Because if you're doing your marketing work correctly EVERYTHING you do on your website or social media sites should be promoting your business. ie advertising. 

The principles of the code

There are two principles of the T&HAC

1. Social responsibility
2. Truthful presentation

If you want to find out more, read the Therapeutic & Health Advertising Code here.

Actually, it's a really good read. Quick and relatively easy to understand.  What is really useful is the examples it gives for those in the weight loss field. 

It also give perhaps the clearest definition of the use of testimonials in advertising. 

The nuts and bolts are

• be truthful
• don't take advantage of fears, vulnerable people and children
• make sure what you say can be validated
• and don't, what ever you do, make any therapeutic claims!

The THAC also gives a lovely summary of what health care professionals can and can't say. This is one of the areas that makes me slightly hypertensive (fancy word for high blood pressure).

As a dietitian with 20+ years experience I can't endorse products. Yet an unqualified, socially appealing influencer who may not know their gluteus maximus from their lateral epichondyle, can indeed endorse what ever they like (as long as they don't make therapeutic claims or include a testimonial).

Take a moment to read the Code.

Freebie alert

I've put together a two page checklist for you to measure your website, blog or social media site against the T&HAC. To give you piece of mind and take away future stress. 

Download your copy here

Other really useful resources

I found this link to the Medical Council of New Zealand. Ok so this is for Doctors, but (unless your own professional guidelines or other regulations say otherwise) I found it a really useful document, talking about adverts, websites and testimonials. 

Then there's this from the Association of New Zealand Advertisers which brings out some really specific notes on what you can and can't write. 

Both are really quick, straightforward reads.

Enjoy!

And next time we'll look more at the consumer and fair trade acts before diving head first into trying to get to the bottom of reviews vs testimonials.