ADVERTISING vs EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

Magazine readers value both editorial content and advertising as sources of information. The integrity and long-term viability of magazines depends, however, on a clear distinction between the two – without it, both editorial and advertising lose credibility with the reader. The guidelines have been designed for the benefit of editors, sales reps, writers and advertising customers. The editor monitors compliance with these guidelines and, if needed, recommends changes to any editorial that is in conflict with these guidelines.

ADVERTISEMENTS

An advertisement is content paid for by an advertiser to promote its products or services. Such content appears in Senior Living as a display ad.

Labeling
Any advertisement that contains text or design elements that have an editorial appearance must be conspicuously identified with the word “advertising” or “advertisement.”

Appearance
The layout and design of advertisements should be entirely different from the publication’s normal layout and design.

Covers
No advertisement may be promoted on the front cover of the magazine or included in the editorial table of contents.

Logos
The magazine’s name or logo should not appear in advertisements, unless the ads are for the magazine and/or its promotions. Advertiser logos should not appear on editorial pages, but may appear in editorial-driven contests, promotions or Senior Living sanctioned sponsorships.

Editorial Objectivity
In the interest of objectivity and credibility with our readers, editorial in any Senior Living magazine should not contain mention of any company name.  If an article is published about a particular product or service, the article should be informational in nature, objective, and not an endorsement. If brand names are mentioned, comparable and competing products and services should be mentioned in the article, giving the reader the opportunity to make their own selection of available products or services.  Editorial should not give more credibility to one product or service over another, unless it is clearly stated in the article that this is a review or evaluation of available and comparable products and services. An article submitted by a business owner or representative of a business, may contain the author’s name and credentials in the byline, but not the name of a company.  A tag line may be placed at the end of the article indicating the author’s occupation and/or credentials to lend authority to the article but may not contain the company name.  If an article is printed about a product or service, a statement should follow the article indicating that Senior Living does not endorse any product or service and that it is the responsibility of the reader to make their own decision about purchase of any product or service. If advice of any kind is provided within the article, a statement should be included indicating that the opinions expressed are those of the author and does not represent the views or opinions of Senior Living.

Adjacency
Ads should not be placed immediately before, within or immediately after editorial content that includes mention of the advertised products or services. Exceptions are allowed for listings and contest sponsors.

Product Image Placement
No advertiser may purchase placement of any product image on editorial pages, including photographs or illustrations.  If a product image is deemed necessary to illustrate an article, it shall be placed at no charge and at the complete discretion of the editor. It should not be used in a manner that represents endorsement or preference by Senior Living.

Sponsorship
An advertiser’s name or logo may be used to suggest sponsorship of any regularly appearing editorial. In such a case, it will be clearly marked “Sponsored by…”  Editorial sponsorships are very limited and specially priced. Acceptance of sponsorships shall be determined by the publisher on a case by case basis. The editorial content related to the sponsorship will not mention or endorse the advertiser. The advertiser does not have input in the creation of the editorial.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS

A special advertising section is a set of advertising pages unified by a theme, accompanied by relevant editorial.  Editorial content should not mention specific businesses, or brand names of products or services, unless the purpose of the editorial has been predetermined to represent the advertisers in such a way.  Business and brand names should be restricted to within the ads.

Labeling
Each text page or advertising spread in special advertising sections will be conspicuously identified under the section heading.

Appearance
The layout and design of such sections should be entirely different from the publication’s normal layout and design.

Cover
Special advertising sections may be promoted on the publication’s front cover or included in the editorial table of contents, provided the editorial in this section does not promote any company’s product or service.

Staff
The names and /or titles of editorial staff and contributors should not appear on, or be associated with, special advertising sections.