Would the Internet be a better place if the following types of online ads were inadmissible?
- Pop-ups and Pop-unders
- Ads with non-functioning drop-down menus, radio buttons, and text boxes
- Ads that contain fraudulent, deceptive or misleading statements or illustrations
- Attacks of personal nature
- Advertisements that are overly competitive or that refer abusively to the goods or services of others
- Offensive to Good Taste – Indecent, vulgar, suggestive or other advertising that may be offensive to good taste
- Discrimination Advertisements that fail to comply with the express requirements of federal and state laws
- Investments Advertisements that do not comply with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations
- Political advertisements that do not identify the paid sponsor in every frame of the ad will not be accepted
- Tobacco Advertisements for cigarettes and other tobacco products
- Occult Pursuits Advertisements for fortune telling, dream interpretations and individual horoscopes except when the emphasis is on amusement rather than serious interpretation
- Endangered Species Advertisements offering furs or products made from the furs or hides of animals included on government endangered species lists
- Online Gaming Advertisements promoting online gaming or wagering sites
- Advertisements that simulate legitimate content
I pulled this list from the ad specs PDF for a social networking site. I’ve edited it slightly to remove any references to the company. Can you guess who it might be?
Need a hint?
It’s not MySpace.
Or Facebook.
You’ve heard of them and there’s a good chance you are a member.
Before you guess, what do you think of the list? Responsible Marketing or a bunch of control freaks with too much time on their hands?
Are their guidelines improving usability and helping maintain quality standards, or hampering creativity?
Let me know what you think by commenting below.
To learn who it is download the ad specs sheet.
