Last Updated: September 2021
Observer chronicles the world’s power players in the arts, entertainment and media, and business innovation. We inspire and challenge an audience of global thinkers, business leaders and influential, highly engaged consumers. We also work hard to provide positive and effective spaces for our marketing and advertising partners. While not every advertisement may reflect our views, we are committed to ensuring certain ethical standards for any advertising or sponsored content in connection with our website and any other platform where Observer is distributed. We have created these simple guidelines to help our advertisers keep apprised of our standards for any advertisements and sponsored content displayed on any of our platforms.
We place great importance on reflecting the ever-growing and evolving standards and ethics of our society and may revise or update these Guidelines at any time to keep with this commitment.
In General, Advertisements on Observer Must:
- BE HONEST: Ads may only include well-substantiated claims and may not display content that is false, misleading, fraudulent, or deceptive.
- BE KIND: Ads must not promote discrimination or practices that might bring harm to an underrepresented population.
- BE CONSIDERATE: Ads must not violate the intellectual property rights, publicity, privacy, or mask work of others. You are responsible for obtaining any needed permissions.
- BE LEGAL: Ads must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Advertising We Prohibit:
In general, we will not allow advertising that:
- Is unlawful, defamatory, shocking, inflammatory, violent, obscene, age-inappropriate, overly suggestive, or sexually provocative;
- Is offensive, discriminatory, harassing, or has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating or hostile environment;
- Uses ethnic slurs, personal insults, obscenity, or other offensive language;
- Promotes unsafe or illegal activities that could lead to an unsafe situation for consumers or other individuals including but not limited to misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as multi-level marketing, pyramid schemes, penny auctions, payday loans, paycheck advances, bail bonds, or any short-term loans less than 90 days;
- Contains health related “before-and-after” images or images that contain unexpected or unlikely results, or imply or attempt to generate negative self-perception in order to promote diet, weight loss, or other health related products.
- Contains harmful content (e.g. malware, viruses, time bombs, and other computer programming routines that could damage or interfere with a system, program, data, or personal information).
Advertising We May Permit with Extra Care:
While we review all advertising content with care, there are certain categories of content we believe are more sensitive or susceptible to misleading statements (even unintentionally) so we strive to ensure this content will meet our own commitments of transparency to our readers. Specifically:
- Politics: Advertising that features political parties, candidates, political issues, or elections.
- Social Responsibility: Advertising that notes a corporation’s efforts to address environmental sustainability, assistance to underrepresented communities, human rights, and other similar philanthropic or charitable endeavors.
- Social Issues: Advertising that comments on or exploits a conflict, natural disaster, public emergency, act of violence, or similar event.
Other Terms and Conditions:
In addition to reviewing these Ad Guidelines, please also review our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy which terms are fully incorporated herein. We reserve the right to reject or remove any advertising in our sole discretion.