Magazine Advertising Guidelines
Every magazine has its own guidelines for accepting advertisements. Advertising and editorial departments create rules for the types of formats they will accept. Content can also be a sticking point for some magazines; a publication might not accept an ad featuring a scantily clad model. However, these guidelines have their roots in standards laid down by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) and the federal government. To defy them means risking a loss of ASME membership or facing legal penalties.
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ASME
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One professional organization represents the interests of American magazine editors: ASME. Founded in 1963, ASME defends First Amendment rights, protects editorial independence and supports the development of journalism. Roughly 700 magazine editors claimed membership to the organization, as of December 2010. In addition to sponsoring an annual magazine award and professional roundtables to discuss pertinent issues, ASME has written a set of advertising guidelines, which it expects its members not to violate.
Guidelines
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ASME's Guideline Committee developed rules for magazine advertisements to maintain the distinction between news and commercial content. The introduction to the guideline states that editorial integrity should not be compromised by advertiser influence. ASME's guidelines prohibit advertisements on magazine covers, advertising not labeled as such, advertisements next to content about the subject of the ad, the participation of editorial staff in advertising content, placement of ads that interrupts editorial content and allowing advertisers to review nonadvertising material before it goes to press.
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Changing the Rules
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Rules change in response to new situations and unexpected events. ASME's advertising guidelines make an excellent case in point. The organization updated its guidelines in 2005 after "The New Yorker" ran a single-advertiser edition with ads from a major U.S. retailer that resembled the publication's famous cartoons without labeling the ads as commercial content. Five years later, ASME revised its guidelines again. In the introduction to the revised guidelines, ASME admitted that numerous questions from its members prompted the changes.
Federal Guidelines
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The federal government has also created its own advertising regulations. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has its own division to protect consumers from unscrupulous promoters. FTC's Division of Advertising Practices combats deceptive diet pill and nutrition supplement ads, monitors how food advertising affects children's obesity levels and tracks alcohol and cigarette advertising to ensure it does not attract the underaged.
Consequences of Violations
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If a member magazine violates ASME's guidelines, it will receive a reprimand, and it will not be eligible to participate in ASME's annual awards. For magazine editors pressured to bring in advertising revenue, the violation might pay off financially. However, federal violations result in much more than a reprimand. The FTC brings lawsuits against violators, which can be costly and time-consuming.
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References
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