Over-regulation is strangling small business, the international Worshipful Company of Marketors claims.

Research into how marketing laws are affecting business in the UK has been carried out by Gerry Brierley, winner of a Marketors’ annual bursary. It reveals that of the 170 marketing laws which have come into existence in the last two decades, most are not properly understood by marketing professionals, business managers and business owners – especially those in small and medium-sized enterprises (of which there are 4.70 million in the UK). The problems are compounded by the UK’s approach to implementing EU Directives.

The number of laws and their complexity make it difficult for businesses to comply with general marketing legislation such as the Data Protection Act and the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) which have not been framed with the SME in mind, says the study.

In order to understand the current and future situation on marketing laws and the effect on the SME community, many in-depth interviews were conducted. Brierley found that laws such as the CTPS, originally meant to protect the consumer, amount to a restriction on using technology to communicate, thus limiting business-to- business interaction and trading.

With SMEs playing a central role, the paper concludes that the situation is potentially damaging to the UK economy as a whole and could result in stifling innovation, product development, collaboration, competitiveness and, most importantly, sales transactions between businesses.

The complete paper, titled with the Marketors’ motto, Mercatura Adiuvat Omnes (Marketing benefits all), can be found on the Marketors’ website.

Gerry Brierley (pictured) is the director of the award-winning U Klick range of software, which provides legislation compliancy for British small businesses, as well as U Klick 4 health and safety, U Klick 4 employment law and U Klick 4 marketing. Brierley stood as an Independent MEP Candidate in the European Elections this year.