Ad & Sponsorship Policy
Written by the Healthcare Website Team. February 2020.
Healthcare Website Media’s mission is to be your most trusted ally in your pursuit of health and well-being. We’re committed to bringing you authoritative, approachable, and actionable content that inspires and guides you toward the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. The content and experiences produced by Healthcare Website Media are created under strict editorial and medical guidelines to ensure accuracy, currency and clarity. Healthcare Website Media is funded through the sale of advertising that appears on its properties, which include websites, apps, social media and partner publications. Be assured that we’re absolutely inflexible about our editorial autonomy. Other than input about broad topic areas, we never allow sponsors to influence Healthcare Website Media’s editorial content. In some cases, Healthcare Website Media may create co-branded or branded content in partnership with our sponsors, and/or present content created by our sponsors. This content is ALWAYS clearly labeled, and is detailed in sections 5 and 6 below.
Here are the specific guidelines we follow about the types of advertising we accept:
1. We review the ads.
We maintain sole discretion for determining the types of ads that will be accepted and displayed on Healthcare Website Media properties. We reserve the right to reject, cancel, or remove any ads at any time and for any reason. We will provide prompt notice to the advertiser upon rejection, cancellation, or removal of any ad, along with an explanation. We also reserve the right to determine the appropriate placement of ads on Healthcare Website Media properties.
2. We don’t endorse any advertised products or services.
Although products may appear on our site in the form of advertisements, under no circumstances shall our acceptance of any ad be considered an endorsement of the product(s) and/or service(s) advertised, or for the company that manufactures, distributes, or promotes these product(s) or service(s). In some cases, Healthcare Website Media’s editorial team may rate or rank certain products or services. These ratings or rankings are determined solely by the editorial team(s) without regard to any financial or advertising relationship that may exist with companies that provide the product or services.
3. We will not accept certain types of ads.
We will not accept any ad that is factually inaccurate and/or, in our opinion, in poor taste. Pharmaceutical advertising is only accepted for approved indication(s) as determined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Advertised products must be in market and readily available. Healthcare Website Media will not permit, at any time, the placement of any ad for harmful, illegal or objectionable products or services. Ads must not contain fraudulent, deceptive, or offensive material, including material that misrepresents, ridicules, or attacks an individual or group on the basis of age, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or disability. Ads must not be related to alcohol, firearms, ammunition, fireworks, gambling, pornography, tobacco, or the simulation of news or an emergency. All ads must clearly identify the advertiser. Any ad that could be misconstrued as editorial content will be clearly labeled as an advertisement.
4. We clearly distinguish ads from editorial content.
In every instance, we maintain a distinct separation between advertisements and editorial content. All ads on Healthcare Website Media properties are clearly and unambiguously identified as such. Clicking on an ad will take the user to an advertiser’s site or to a sponsor’s resource center hosted on a Healthcare Website Media property. Sponsored resource centers are labeled as such, with the name of the sponsoring entity displayed.
5. We clearly distinguish between sponsored and non-sponsored content.
Healthcare Website Media seeks sponsorships from trusted and credible research organizations, manufacturers, and other service providers. Sponsorships provide financial benefit to Healthcare Website Media, but also benefit our users by providing current information on health services, medications, and treatments. Editorial content sponsored by an advertiser is subject to our editorial policy and is reviewed by our editorial staff and Medical Affairs team. When content is provided by or influenced by a named sponsor, we take meaningful steps to ensure our users will not confuse that sponsored content with Healthcare Website Media’s own original editorial content. Here are the types of sponsored content Healthcare Website Media presents:
- Sponsored content: Sponsored content refers to content that is created by Healthcare Website Media covering a topic area that is relevant to an advertiser. Healthcare Website Media has sole editorial control, and no advertiser has any input into the content beyond the broad topic area. Sponsored content will be labeled in one of the following ways: “sponsored by our partners,” “sponsored by,” “from our sponsor,” or “brought to you by.”
- Co-branded content: This content is created in partnership with our sponsor and may have a sponsor logo on the page, article, video, or other content. The content adheres to Healthcare Website Media’s editorial guidelines and may include products, promotions or links to an advertiser’s site. In some cases, a portion of the content will be created, or directed by an advertiser. Co-branded content will be labeled with the sponsors logo, as well as the following text: “Made in partnership with BRAND NAME.”
- Brand pages: Healthcare Website Media may host webpages that present content that is created by our sponsors or advertisers. This content does not undergo an editorial or medical review by Healthcare Website Media, and Healthcare Website Media is not responsible for providing the products or services described on these pages. These pages are hosted as a viewer resource, and are not meant to imply recommendations or endorsements. Brand pages are labeled: “Paid for by.”
- Native advertising: Native advertising refers to links or ads that link to other content. These links may direct users to other content on Healthcare Website Media properties, or may link to an advertiser or sponsor owned page. These links are displayed in the space between paragraphs of a Healthcare Website Media article, along the right side of a content page and/or at the bottom of a page below an article or other content. In cases these links direct viewers to co-sponsored content, brand pages or sponsor owned web pages, such links will be labeled with one or more of the following: “Sponsored,” or “Paid for by.”
- Social media posts: Healthcare Website Media may present advertising messages, advertisements or sponsored posts in its social media channels. These advertisements will be labeled “#ad” and may also include “#sponsored,” “#PartnerPromotion,” or “#HLsponsor.”
6. Affiliate program (ecommerce links in Healthcare Website Media content)
As part of the article creation process, our health and wellness editors will occasionally include links to relevant products they feel could be useful to our readers. While all products are chosen independently, we want you to know that Healthcare Website Media may receive a payment if you make a purchase at the retailer’s site within 24 hours of clicking on one of the links we provide.
7. We clearly distinguish content that is part of a Partner program.
Occasionally Healthcare Website Media will work with products, services or organizations that align with our mission. Healthcare Website Media vets these products, services or organizations for quality and only presents what it feels is valuable to and in the best interest of our users. Healthcare Website Media does not medically review the content and is not responsible for providing the products or services described on these pages. Any partner content of this type will be labeled with the following language, “The following is paid for by our sponsor. The sponsor of this content has sole editorial control.” In the instances where Healthcare Website Media receives a payment when users purchase, or sign up for the product or service the page may also include this language, “Healthcare Website and our partners may receive a portion of revenues if you make a purchase using a link above.” Partner pages may also include a “what’s this” link that takes users to a page that explains the nature of the partnership.