Advertising Guidelines
Content Standards
- White ads must have a distinct border to clearly identify where the page ends, and advertisement begins.
- Sponsor of the advertising message must be clearly identified.
- Advertiser's landing page must match the offer being made in the advertisement.
- An ordinary person must be able to make an informed decision from the offer(s) in the ad.
- It is the advertiser's responsibility to ensure that all product claims, warranties, guarantees or other assurances comply with applicable laws & regulations.
- Ad unit and landing page must have detailed disclosures as appropriate; in particular, full terms and conditions of the offer must be easily accessible on landing page.
Creative Cannot
- Use “bait and switch” tactics, e.g. advertising that promotes an unavailable product or price as a means of luring the user into purchasing a different product.
- Display false functionality - contain graphics that simulate interactivity where no such interactivity exists.
- Resemble error messages or Windows/Mac/Unix dialogue boxes.
- Prompt a download.
- Mimic news headlines in design, tone, third-person sentence structure, or topic.
Subjective Content
Ads for astrology, horoscopes, psychic services or other related services:
- creative MUST state that the service is for entertainment purposes only.
- creative CANNOT imply that there are scientific groundings to such services and/or promises of wealth or good fortune.
Ads for food products:
- MUST comply with applicable laws & regulations regarding definitions/restrictions on food-related descriptive words.
The use of the word “Free” in any ad:
- MUST fully comply with all state and federal guidelines, and disclose all material terms and conditions to obtain the free item.
- in particular, ad units which claim to offer "free gifts" which in fact require the user to sign up for one or more offers, trial subscriptions, etc.
- MUST disclose how many offers the user must complete before receiving the gift.
Ads for promotions (contests, sweepstakes, special offers):
- Creative CANNOT imply that the promotion is approved or endorsed by any government or quasi-government entity.
- MUST offer a fair opportunity for all entrants to win.
- Chance based promotions MUST clearly disclose that no purchase is necessary.
- CANNOT claim “everyone wins,” or suggest that user was specially selected to receive a prize.
- CANNOT suggest that a payment by the winner is necessary to claim a prize (except for applicable taxes).
- MAY NOT imply that the mere act of clicking a button is sufficient to win (e.g. "Win a car! Click here!").
Weight loss ads:
- CANNOT depict or be targeted at children or teens.
- CANNOT Suggest that the product alone is effective for weight loss or make any unrealistic claims about the amount of weight that can be expected from the product.
- MUST, where weight loss claims are made or implied, contain a disclaimer such as “results not typical; individual results may vary”.
Ringtone/cell phone offers:
- MUST disclose the details of the service, particularly when the offer requires a subscription.
Unacceptable Ads
We will not accept ads for the following products:
- adult products (films, magazines, websites, toys, etc.)
- loan products which require upfront fees, products/services that claim to repair bad credit
- lotteries (other than official state lotteries sponsored by a U.S. state, e.g. California State Lottery)
- products containing ephedra, ma huang, chitosan or human growth hormones, comfrey, or pyruvate
- insider tips on a particular stock or commodity
- securities (stocks, bonds, notes, warrants, options, etc)
- degrees for sale or offered by non-accredited universities or programs
- gambling educational sites
- alcohol
- drugs
- casino services
- online casinos
- political messages
- tobacco products
- ammunition
- gambling portals
- firearms
- fireworks
- religious messages
- others as may be designated by Rocket Fuel Inc.