Advertising Standards

Advertising helps businesses, creators and organizations reach people on Media.com.

Advertisers must be transparent about who they are, honest about what they are offering and compliant with applicable law.

Media.com applies stricter standards to advertising than to ordinary publications.

Content that is permitted as an ordinary post may not be permitted as an advertisement.

These Rules apply in addition to Media.com's Content & Conduct Standards and all other applicable Rules and Policies.

These Rules apply to:

• advertisements purchased through Media Ads;
• promoted content;
• sponsored placements;
• advertising creative;
• ad text, images, video and audio;
• landing pages and destinations;
• advertiser accounts;
• advertiser identity and verification;
• targeting;
• measurement claims; and
• other paid promotional activity on Media.com.

Paid content published by creators outside Media Ads may also be subject to Media.com's Branded Content & Sponsorship Disclosure Rules.

Advertisers may be required to:

• complete identity or organization verification;
• demonstrate authority to represent the advertiser;
• provide accurate business information;
• satisfy applicable age requirements;
• hold any legally required licence or authorisation;
• comply with applicable law in the jurisdictions targeted; and
• accept Media Ads terms.

Media.com may refuse, restrict or remove advertising access where these requirements are not met.

Do not use advertising to deceive people.

Advertisements must not:

• make materially false claims;
• omit information necessary to avoid being misleading;
• misrepresent a product, service or offer;
• misrepresent the advertiser's identity;
• imply an endorsement that does not exist;
• fabricate results, reviews or testimonials;
• misrepresent price, availability or terms; or
• otherwise materially mislead users.

Advertisers should be able to substantiate material factual claims.

Media.com may require evidence for claims concerning:

• performance;
• effectiveness;
• health outcomes;
• financial returns;
• comparisons with competitors;
• scientific results;
• certifications;
• awards; or
• other material representations.

Media.com may reject or remove advertising where a material claim cannot reasonably be substantiated.

Do not use deceptive advertising creative.

This includes:

• fake interface elements such as false play buttons, close buttons or notifications;
• fake system messages or error alerts;
• creative designed to be mistaken for editorial content or platform functionality;
• sensationalised claims unrelated to the product;
• shocking imagery unrelated to the offer;
• countdowns or scarcity claims that are false; or
• other materially deceptive presentation.

The destination of an advertisement must be consistent with the advertisement itself.

Landing pages must not:

• be materially unrelated to the advertisement;
• be non-functional or misleading;
• automatically download files;
• prevent users from leaving;
• contain deceptive redirects;
• require unnecessary personal information; or
• contain content prohibited under Media.com's Rules.

Do not use advertising to impersonate another person, business, organization, public body or Media.com itself.

Do not use another party's branding, logos or trade marks in a way that materially misleads users about who is advertising.

Relevant conduct may also violate Impersonation & Identity Abuse or Copyright & Intellectual Property.

Do not fabricate testimonials, reviews or endorsements.

Do not claim that a person, organization or public authority endorses a product where they do not.

Where a testimonial reflects an unusual result, that should be made clear where necessary to avoid misleading users.

AI-generated advertising creative is permitted where it complies with these Rules.

Do not use synthetic media to depict a real person endorsing or using a product without authorisation.

Media.com may require disclosure where synthetic content could reasonably be mistaken for authentic footage of real people or events.

Synthetic & Manipulated Media Rules may apply concurrently.

Do not use manipulated, unrepresentative or fabricated before-and-after imagery.

Media.com may restrict advertising that creates unrealistic expectations about physical appearance, health outcomes or financial results.

Advertisements must accurately represent:

• price;
• currency;
• discounts;
• subscription terms;
• renewal terms;
• cancellation conditions;
• trial periods;
• delivery costs;
• availability; and
• material conditions of an offer.

Do not conceal recurring charges or make cancellation unreasonably difficult.

Media.com does not permit advertising for:

• illegal goods or services;
• illegal drugs;
• weapons and ammunition where prohibited;
• counterfeit goods;
• stolen goods;
• fraudulent schemes;
• malicious software;
• hacking services;
• human exploitation or trafficking;
• commercial sexual services;
• pornography;
• child sexual exploitation material;
• dangerous products;
• unlawful surveillance tools;
• fake documents;
• academic cheating services where prohibited;
• multi-level marketing schemes where prohibited;
• get-rich-quick schemes; or
• other categories Media.com prohibits.

Some categories may be permitted only with additional requirements.

These may include:

• alcohol;
• gambling;
• tobacco, nicotine and vaping products where permitted at all;
• pharmaceuticals;
• health and medical services;
• weight-loss products;
• financial services;
• digital assets;
• political advertising;
• dating services;
• legal services;
• cosmetic procedures; and
• other regulated categories.

Requirements may include licensing, age restrictions, geographic restrictions, disclosures or additional review.

Political advertising may be subject to additional requirements including:

• advertiser verification;
• disclosure of who paid for the advertisement;
• jurisdictional eligibility;
• targeting restrictions;
• transparency records;
• restrictions during specified election periods; and
• additional review.

Media.com may prohibit political advertising in particular jurisdictions or during particular periods where required by law or platform policy.

Civic & Election Integrity Rules apply concurrently.

Health, medical and wellness advertising may require:

• licensing or professional registration;
• substantiation of claims;
• jurisdictional eligibility;
• age restrictions; or
• additional review.

Do not advertise guaranteed cures, unproven treatments for serious conditions or products claiming to replace necessary medical care.

Health & Medical Misinformation Rules apply concurrently.

Financial advertising may require:

• licensing or regulatory authorisation;
• jurisdictional eligibility;
• risk disclosures;
• accurate representation of returns; and
• additional review.

Do not advertise guaranteed investment returns, misleading financial claims or fraudulent financial schemes.

Fraud & Criminal Activity Rules apply concurrently.

Advertisers may target advertising using the options Media.com makes available.

Targeting must not be used to discriminate unlawfully, exploit vulnerability or circumvent applicable restrictions.

Media.com may restrict targeting based on sensitive attributes including:

• health conditions;
• sexual orientation;
• gender identity;
• religious belief;
• political affiliation;
• racial or ethnic origin;
• immigration status;
• criminal history;
• financial hardship; or
• other sensitive characteristics.

Restrictions may vary by jurisdiction and advertising category.

Do not imply in advertising creative that you know a person's:

• medical condition;
• sexual orientation;
• gender identity;
• religion;
• political views;
• financial circumstances;
• criminal history;
• immigration status; or
• other sensitive attribute.

Advertising should not make users feel identified or exposed on the basis of sensitive personal characteristics.

Media.com may restrict or prohibit advertising directed to minors.

Additional restrictions may apply to:

• age-restricted products;
• gambling;
• alcohol;
• nicotine and vaping;
• weight-loss products;
• cosmetic procedures;
• financial products;
• dating services; and
• other categories inappropriate for young people.

Age eligibility is determined under Media.com's Age Requirements & Age Assurance framework.

Advertisers must comply with applicable privacy and data-protection law.

Do not use advertising to collect personal information deceptively.

Do not misuse data obtained through Media.com advertising features.

Privacy & Personal Information Rules and Media.com's Privacy Policy may apply.

Do not use advertising to discriminate unlawfully.

Media.com may apply additional restrictions to advertising concerning:

• employment;
• housing;
• credit or lending;
• insurance;
• education; or
• other opportunities where discrimination law commonly applies.

Do not use gratuitously shocking, violent, gory or distressing imagery in advertising.

Media.com may restrict advertising that is likely to cause significant distress to users who did not choose to view it.

Sexual, sexually suggestive and nudity-based advertising may be prohibited or restricted.

Adult Sexual Content & Nudity Rules apply to the underlying content and advertising standards may be stricter.

Advertising should meet reasonable quality standards.

Media.com may reject advertising that is:

• unreadable;
• severely low quality;
• substantially obscured;
• non-functional;
• grammatically incomprehensible; or
• otherwise unsuitable for the platform.

Quality decisions are product decisions and do not necessarily indicate a Trust & Safety violation.

Media.com may display information about advertisements, including who paid for them.

Advertisers must provide accurate information for this purpose where required.

Advertisements should be identifiable as advertising.

Do not design advertising to be mistaken for organic content, editorial material or Media.com platform functionality.

Do not misrepresent advertising performance, reach or results.

Do not artificially inflate advertising metrics.

Spam, Fake Engagement & Platform Manipulation Rules apply to artificial engagement with advertising.

Do not engage in advertising fraud.

This includes:

• click fraud;
• impression fraud;
• automated traffic;
• incentivised fake engagement;
• fraudulent payment methods;
• chargeback abuse; or
• manipulation of Media Ads systems.

Fraud & Criminal Activity and Account Integrity & Enforcement Evasion Rules may apply concurrently.

Media.com may review advertisements before or after they run.

Approval does not guarantee that an advertisement complies with applicable law.

Advertisers remain responsible for their advertising.

Media.com may re-review, restrict or remove advertising at any time.

Where advertising violates these Rules, Media.com may:

• reject the advertisement;
• pause or remove the advertisement;
• require changes;
• restrict targeting;
• restrict advertising categories;
• require additional verification;
• restrict or suspend the advertiser account;
• restrict related accounts;
• withhold or refund spend where appropriate; or
• permanently remove advertising access.

Serious or repeated violations, advertising fraud or prohibited category advertising may result in immediate loss of advertising access.

Users can report advertisements they believe violate these Rules using the reporting option available on the advertisement.

A report does not itself establish that an advertisement violates Media.com's Rules.

Advertisers may appeal eligible advertising decisions where they believe Media.com made an error.

Media.com may require licensing, business or substantiation information as part of the review.

For more information, see Appealing a Media.com Decision.

These Rules should be read together with:

• Content & Conduct Standards;
• Branded Content & Sponsorship Disclosure;
• Commercial Integrity;
• Creator Monetization Standards;
• Payments & Restricted Activity;
• Prohibited & Regulated Goods and Services;
• Fraud & Criminal Activity;
• Health & Medical Misinformation;
• Civic & Election Integrity;
• Privacy & Personal Information;
• Age Requirements & Age Assurance;
• Synthetic & Manipulated Media;
• Impersonation & Identity Abuse; and
• other applicable Media.com Rules and Policies.