Commissions and Reports

• Marketing and Promotion
  

Marketing and Promotion Commission Report. 2001–2004

AE. Karakaya, MH Karol, K. Rydzynski

The Marketing and Promotion Commission was founded following the Brisbane meeting in 2001. Since then, in cooperation with AIM, the commission has organized booths at the Society of Toxicology meetings in Salt Lake City (2002) and in Baltimore (2003), at the EUROTOX congresses in Budapest (2002) and in Florence (2003), at the Congress of Toxicology in Developing Countries in Guilin (2003) and at the International Congress of Toxicology in Tampere (2004). It has prepared a brochure and has designed a new IUTOX logo.

Marketing IUTOX was not undertaken since IUTOX has few products to market. IUTOX. IUTOX does not publish any periodicals; and does not IUTOX congresses. The latter is the function of member societies. Therefore, the Union does not have the opportunity to obtain revenues from advertisements appearing in its periodical, from congress documents, or from renting booths at the congresses. In terms of marketing activity, we are thus left only with whatever opportunities our web-site offers us. Under these conditions, "Marketing and Promotion Commission" really deals with promotion .This function is perhaps best fulfilled by AIM.
Taking these facts into consideration, the following suggestions should be considered by the Executive Committee:

1. As had been decided at the IUTOX Executive Committee, efforts must be spent to improve the public’s perception of toxicology, since the public, by and large, fails to associate the word toxicology with some of its most important functions such as human health and environmental protection. Therefore, it might be proper to redefine the duties of this commission in the coming term and, accordingly, rename it "Promotion and Public Relations Commission".

2. Considering that web-page and electronic communication is a most effective method of promotion and public relations, the “Marketing and Promotion Commission” may be abolished and its promotion and public relations functions may be transferred to the Communications Commission.

3. The outreach activities of this Commission may best be described as public education, and the functions should be placed under the umbrella of the Education Commission.
In deciding the reorganization of the Commission, we should take into account that we are planning to establish a "Task Force for the Enhancement of the Public Appreciation and Image of Toxicology" during the coming term.

Respectfully Submitted,
July 7, 2004