Policy for Advertising in Facebook Groups and Associated Websites
Sponsors
Introduction
Social media has changed the landscape, methods and manners in which clientele find their services in an open market, and the disability sector is no exception.
Before Social media, vigorous advertising rules were applied by peak bodies and the adherence to these rules was monitored by peak and regulatory bodies, or at the very lest by their peers.
Today, the cost to advertise has reduced the need for advertising agencies, at least at the smaller end of the spectrum, and advertising governance is largely being influenced by multi national data aggregators such as Facebook and Twitter.
In my opinion, and as temporary custodian of a rather large audience of advertisers and potenttial clientele thereof, the standards and oppurtunities to influence and govern industry codes and standards of practise has been diluted, and replaced by a individual opinion as to best practise, and code of conduct when advertising.
To this end, this advertising policy is an attempt to provide some guidelines as to fair use, and the differentiation in commercial advertising, and the use of members of the community the advertisements belong to, the disability sector being the focus..
Purpose
To ensure respectful, accurate, and dignified portrayal of individuals with disabilities in advertisements.
To provide a guideline as to best practice standards to avoid the deliberate or inadvertent exploitation of individuals, and those with a disability in particular, in pursuit of commercial gain for providers or suppliers to the industry.
Definition of Advertising
All branded, whether direct or implied, content, regardless of its nature or intention, is recognised as advertising for the purposes of this policy
Use of People with Disabilities as Models
Inclusion Principle
- Advertisers are encouraged to inclusively feature individuals with disabilities in main roles or focus points, rather than passive or background roles.
Representation Accuracy:
- Models with disabilities should be portrayed in authentic situations, avoiding stereotypes or misrepresentations.
Dignity of Risk
- Recognize and respect the capacity of individuals with disabilities to take on risks, make choices, and engage in decision-making about their representation.
Fair Use and Incidental Representation
- There might be situations where individuals with disabilities appear incidentally in the background or in a manner where they are not easily identifiable. In such cases, while the primary informed consent might not be mandatory, it remains essential that their portrayal adheres to the overall respectful and positive representation standards of this policy.
Distinguishable Portrayal:
- If an individual with a disability, even when appearing incidentally, becomes a distinguishable focus in the advertisement, the standards of informed consent and the other provisions of this policy apply.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
- Where a conflict of interest may occur, or appear to occur, all measures to avoid this conflict should be taken, or reasonable steps to manage the conflict.
Compensation for Commercial Participation
Individuals with disabilities, like all participants in advertising content, bring value to the advertisements they feature in, especially if their role or portrayal significantly contributes to the commercial benefit of the advertisement.
Fair Compensation
- When participants with disabilities, whether they do or do not provide, consent they should be compensated in line with industry standards and norms for such roles. This ensures equitable treatment and recognizes the contribution of individuals with disabilities to the advertisement's success.
Consent Protocols
Informed Consent
- All participants, including those with disabilities, must be provided with clear information about how their image, voice, or story will be used.
- They should agree without coercion.
This includes ensuring that the participant understands the advertising nature of the content and how it might be perceived by the public.
Active Participation
- Participants should have an active role in deciding how they are portrayed, allowing them to express their preferences, concerns, or ideas.
Use of Minors with Disabilities
- Minors (individuals under 18) with disabilities can only be included in advertising with explicit parental or guardian consent.
- Parents/guardians must be provided with comprehensive information about the advertisement's intent, context, and distribution.
- Additional considerations should be made to ensure that the representation does not exploit or harm the minor in any way.
Feedback Mechanism
- Establish a clear channel where models, participants, or the public can voice concerns or feedback regarding the portrayal of individuals with disabilities.
- Regularly review and act upon the feedback to continuously improve the advertising practices.
Training and Sensitisation
- Advertisers and content creators should undergo regular training on the ethical and respectful portrayal of individuals with disabilities.
- Familiarise teams with the concepts of 'Dignity of Risk', informed and active consent, and the true nature of branded content.
Review and Monitoring
- Periodically review advertisements to ensure they align with this policy's guidelines and ethics.
- Establish an internal committee or work with external disability advocacy groups to provide oversight.
Transparency and Accountability
- Maintain transparency with participants regarding the use and distribution of content featuring them.
- Take responsibility for any missteps and commit to making necessary changes based on feedback and reviews.
Our Role in Policing this Policy
- We will of course, try and bring this to the advertisers attention whre possible, to avoid any future breaches
- In the event we are unable to communicate with the advertiser, or the advertisier refuses to comply with our decision, we reserve the right to veto posts and advertising of posts, where we feel this policy has been breached. This decision is absolute, and independent of any fees that may have been paid.
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Shuffles Directories, its staff and Directors, and the Facebook administrators and moderators, do not act as advertisers, nor publishers in the general and ordinary use of the word. Their role is to merely to provide a facility to access advertisements and promotions on behalf of advertisers.
It is up to the advertisier to ensure compliance with this policy, and any laws that may apply to them and their jurisdiction.
This also applies to rules, laws or conditions of membership that may apply to any peak body or regulatory authority that may have legal or membership requirements or conditions of display that may need to be met
