The crisis caused by Covid-19 and the resulting emergency measures have directly and widely impacted advertising production in Europe and worldwide and placed production companies, as well as the entire sector, under great strain.

In view of the risks that this crisis poses to future productions, and in view of the difficulties to find appropriate and reasonable insurance cover, the members of the CFP-E have joined forces in order to set up good practices to deal efficiently and fairly with this situation.

These good practices are as follows:

❯ Production companies will endeavour, as far as possible, to take into account, when drawing up their quotations, the additional costs linked to the health rules as they exist at the date of drawing up the quotation;

❯ They will alert their client (agencies and/or advertisers), by mentioning in their quotations, that there are risks inherent in Covid-19 and, more generally, in any epidemic, and the fact that these risks are not covered by insurance;

❯ In order to guarantee to everyone the best levels of predictability, they will inform their client (agencies and/or advertisers) by an express mention in their estimate that:

• the additional expenses/costs related to any coronavirus-related event requiring postponement, relocation or modification of production conditions, as long as they are not insured, will be passed on to the client, being specified that the production companies will do their best to mitigate these additional costs;
• in the event of cancellation, the agency and/or advertiser will be required to pay the expenses and costs made and/or actually incurred, whether these commitments arise from orders placed, executed contracts or legal or regulatory obligations, as well as, according to local practice, the margin and/or overheads and/or producer’s fee pro rata to said costs and expenses, being specified that the Production company will negotiate, with the stakeholders, the financial consequences of such a cancellation to the best of their ability.

❯ Production companies will work with agencies and clients to create production methodologies that reduce the risk of a Coronavirus-related postponement or cancellation so far as it is possible to do so and to put contingencies in place in the event that a risk factor (e.g. the director getting Coronavirus) occurs. 

A PDF of this statement can be downloaded HERE.