Advertising Policies

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 online media 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, the following may be required from advertisers: background information, the proposed ad, a product sample and customer service information.
4. Member Surveys. AARP does not accept ads to acquire volunteers to enter research studies, nor does it allow advertisers to survey or ask questions of members that do not directly involve follow-up materials being requested.
5. 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, promotion material or follow-up mailings without the express written permission of AARP.
6. AARP Endorsements of Product & Services. AARP endorses Certain Member Services to meet specific needs and desires of AARP members. The appearance of advertising in any of AARP online media, however, does not constitute an endorsement of any product or service.
7. AARP Reserves the Right To Reject Any Advertisement. 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 at www.aarp.org/privacy.html, or by calling 1-800-424-3410.

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

Life 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
• Health Surveys, Tests, Research Projects
• Age Related Membership Organizations that are recruiting members
• Personal Ads
• Political, Religious, or Public Policy Messages
• Tobacco and Related Products
• Wills and Trusts (Do-It-Yourself Type)

AARP online media reserves the right to reject, at any time advertising for any reason, or to limit the advertising in any AARP online media without liability, even though previously acknowledged or accepted.