NEWS: ACI accepts paying members and sets its code of practice

The Association of Creative Independents will become a reality early

next year with up to 30 companies likely to form its founding

membership.

They will pay a pounds 750 annual fee to join the ACI, which is hopeful

of achieving charity status within the next nine months.

Lewis Silkin, appointed as solicitors to the fledgling organisation, is

drawing up articles of association and will advise members on copyright

and confidentiality issues.

Meanwhile, the ACI is writing a code of practice intended to reassure

advertisers of the professional standards of members.

The code will also ban ACI members from ‘stealing’ any client business

from agencies that employ them.

Bill Thompson, an ACI committee member, said: ‘We think a pounds 750

membership fee will encourage creative independents who are interested

in what we’re trying to achieve rather than casual freelancers.’

Creative independents will be allowed into the ACI if they are employing

account staff and planners but would not qualify if they followed the

full-service agency route by establishing media departments, Thompson

added.

The ACI, which was formally launched at a meeting at the Institute of

Practitioners in Advertising on Tuesday, will begin life with no

permanent staff but hopes to establish an office with paid

administration staff at a later stage.

This article was first published on Campaign