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HowCONARwasborn
CAIOA.DOMINGUES
pagE 22
This text was written by the late Caio
Domingues, an admanwho gavemuch
of his talent and effort to create the self-
regulatory Code of Brazilian Advertising. It
was first published as a chapter of the
book “History of Advertising in Brazil”
(IBRACO, 1990).Domingues describes
howhe spent 26hours typewriting the first
text, based “on a 2-feet highpile of all the
foreign codes and other references”. The
text was submitted to colleagues such as
Gilberto de Camargo Barros, Luiz Celso
de Piratininga, Mauro Salles and Geraldo
Alonso,plus the important contributionof
attorney José Saulo Ramos. CONAR
started as a department of the Brazilian
Associationof AdvertisingAgencies, but
soonbecame independent, with the
support of theNational Newspapers
Association, theBrazilianAssociationof
Radio andTV and theNational
AssociationofMagazine Editors. The first
executive-director was Gilberto Leifert,
whowas succeded by Edney Narchi, the
current CEO. The support of themedia
was decisive for CONAR toperform its
difficult task of screening for ads and
commercials consideredmisleading or
false. The author also comments on some
of the first cases examined, such as Artex
andMcDonals’s and about the diverse,
andoftenconflictingpositions of the
“conservative” and the “creative” groups.
He concludes with the observation that
CONAR still does not consider complex
and delicate aspects of advertising, such
as good taste andquality.
CONAR25years:
practicingethics
GILBERTOC.LEIFERT
pagE 30
As itcompletes25years,CONAR
confirms thevalues thatunite the
advertisingcommunity in the
endeavor todeserve the trustof
consumers,governmentauthorities
and itsownpeers.
TheseareCONAR’scommitments:
❖
CONARmaintains itselfasaprivate
body;
❖
CONAR is supportedby themoral
strengthof itsconstitutingassociations:
ABA,ABAP,ABERT,ANER,ANJand the
OUTDOORCENTRAL;
❖
CONARdoesnotacceptgover-
nmentmoney; it ismaintainedby the
financialcontributionsof itsmembers,
and thegovernance isexertedby
volunteerwork;
❖
CONARdefends the freedom from
censorshiponexpressionand
creation, incompliancewith the
BrazilianConstitution;
❖
CONAR recognizes in the freedomof
thepressand in the rightof information
the indispensableconditions for the
democraticruleof law.
CONARdefends the right toadvertise,
forgoodsand services that areallowed
tobe sold in themarket,with
observanceofethicsand the law.
25years later.Agood
example for our
congressmen inBrasília
FRANCISCOGRACIOSO
pagE 38
This editionof RevistadaESPMon
the themeof freedomof expression
coincideswith thecelebrationof the
25thanniversaryofCONAR’s
foundation.During these25years,
theBrazilianCommitteeon
AdvertisingSelf-Regulationhas
determined the suspensionof
thousands of ads andcommercials,
for avarietyof reasons, from
disrespecting thepublic, toethical
deviationsor unfair competition. The
systemworks reasonablywell,
without interferenceor influence
from theState. The text of thecode,
plus thecreationof itsoperating
committee, didnot come intoplay
until aftermuchdebateamong
advertisers, admenand themediaas
it involved theprincipleof freedom
of expression. TheBraziliancode
has helpedother countries inputting
together their own texts. Theauthor
proposes: sinceCONAR is sucha
success story,whynot encourage the
creationof another code, to regulate
political campaigns?Thearticle is
alsoa reminder that ESPM joined
CONAR toestablish the firstBrazilian
referencecenter and library
specialized in the themeof freedom
of expression, collectinghundreds of
books andmany thousand
documents on the subject, tobe
consultedbypoliticians, lawyers,
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