General Advertising Guidelines
The general guidelines listed below may not address each and every advertising/product situation. Each advertisement must be judged on a case-by-case basis on its own merits.
1. Conformity of Government Laws and Regulations. All advertising material presented to members in AARP publications must conform to governmental laws and regulations and to the standards and policies of the Association.
2. Substantiation of Claims. Any claim made in an ad will have to be substantiated to the satisfaction of AARP as will reference to any scientific studies.
3. Company Must Be Financially Sound and Have a Good Customer Service Record. To ascertain this, AARP will conduct an in-depth assessment of the company. The following may be required from advertisers: Background information, the proposed ad, possibly a product sample and customer service information. If AARP cannot substantiate a potential advertiser's background, a background on the parent company may suffice as long as a connection between the two companies has been established and the parent company acknowledges responsibility.
4. The AARP Logo and Use of Its Name. General advertisers may not use the AARP logo. The use of the AARP name, its initials or the name of any of its publications may not be used in any advertisement, promotional materials or follow-up mailings without the express prior written permission of AARP.
5. AARP Endorsements of Products & Services. AARP endorses certain member services to meet specific needs and desires of AARP members. The appearance of any other advertising in any of AARP's publications, however, does not constitute nor should be construed as an endorsement of any product or service.
6. Testimonials and Endorsements. AARP requires releases for offers or statements made in ads by featured individuals and companies.
7. AARP Reserves The Right To Reject Any Advertisements. AARP reserves the right to decline or reject any advertisement for any reason at any time without liability, even though previously acknowledged or accepted.
8. AARP Protects The Privacy of its Members. AARP is committed to offering members a choice about how personal information is used. The privacy policy is available on AARP.org.
Special Requirements
Some ad categories raise a number of issues for which AARP may require additional information as its experience demonstrates a more in-depth investigation as needed. These categories include:
- Auto Insurance
- Business Opportunity or Franchise Sales
- Credit Cards
- Financial or Investment Information or Offers
- Hearing Aids
- Health Insurance
- Home Equity Loans
- Homeowners and Mobile Home Insurance
- Mail Order Offers
- OTCs, Vitamins, and Herbs
- Personal Emergency Response Systems
- Pharmaceutical and Drug Stores
- Prescription Drugs
- Reverse Mortgages
- Vanity Publishers
Unacceptable Ad Messages
AARP deems some industry sectors as unacceptable for its publications. These include:
- Guns, firearms, weapons
- Age-related membership organizations recruiting members
- Political, religious or public policy messages
- Tobacco and related products
AARP does not accept any of these ads. This includes any ad that might be an image ad from a tobacco company or an ad seeking to promote the good works of any tobacco company or group of companies. AARP will accept ads for legitimate stop-smoking techniques or products.
The Publications Director and Publisher reserve the right to reject any advertising, at any time, for any reason or to limit the advertising pages in any edition, even though previously acknowledged or accepted.
