AAD advertising standards
Download a PDF of the 2021 Advertising Standards.
The American Academy of Dermatology and AAD Association (collectively, “the Academy”) owns or controls a variety of communication outlets, including but not limited to publications, websites, digital newsletters, meeting site signage (banners, buses, billboards et al), etc., and accepts advertising as a means of keeping our audiences informed of products and services, and as a source of non-dues revenue.
General eligibility
Advertising eligibility is governed by the Academy’s Advertising Standards, bylaws, administrative regulations and policies, and all applicable federal, state and local laws.
The Academy follows the Standards for Commercial Support of Continuing Medical Education of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the Council on Medical Specialty Societies Code for Interactions with Companies. The Academy also complies with the PhRMA and AdvaMed guidelines on the interaction with health care providers to the extent they are consistent with AAD guidelines.
The Academy accepts advertising only if acceptance does not pose or imply a conflict of interest.
The Academy regularly reviews advertisements for suitability according to industry advertising standards, and as governed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Academy reserves the right to reject or not to renew previously approved advertisements.
Advertising copy
The advertiser and the product or service being offered should be clearly identified in the advertisement. In the case of drug advertisements, the full generic name of each active ingredient shall appear.
It is the sole responsibility of the advertiser to ensure that advertisements are in compliance with all applicable industry, state and federal regulatory and governmental agency guidelines (FDA, FCC, FTC, PhRMA, CMSS, OIG, CFSAN, etc.), as well as continuing medical education guidelines (AMA, ACCME, etc.), as appropriate. Appearance of advertising in Academy publications should not be construed as a guarantee that the manufacturer has complied with such laws and regulations.
Advertisements containing claims about the safety or effectiveness of health care products or services may cite in footnotes references from scientific literature, provided the reference is truthful and is a fair representation of the body of literature supporting the claim made.
Guarantees may be used in advertisements provided the statements that are “guaranteed”are considered truthful, supportable, and could be used whether or not they are guaranteed. Companies must disclose conditions and limitations of any product guarantees.
Comparison to a competitor’s products or services is permitted if claims of superiority have not been challenged by any governing body, and data from well-controlled clinical studies cited in recognized, peer-reviewed medical journals, are cited in the ad, or can be made available upon request. Comparisons to a competitor’s products or services may not be disparaging, false or misleading. Comparison to the Academy’s products or services is prohibited.
Advertisement of memberships, products, meetings or services that compete directly with those offered by the Academy is generally prohibited. Fundraising by organizations other than the Academy is prohibited.
Artwork, format, and layout of ads should be such as to avoid confusion with editorial content of the communication outlet. The word “advertisement” may be required.
The inclusion of an advertisement in Academy communications outlets is not to be construed or publicized as an endorsement or approval by the Academy of any company or company’s products or services, nor referred to in collateral advertising.
Electronic advertising policy
Acceptance
The American Academy of Dermatology accepts advertisements within select areas of the member and public sections of its website, and in its digital publications, except on pages which have been deemed inappropriate for commercial ads.
Format
Ads on the Academy website conform with the standard sizes suggested by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB, www.iab.net). The Academy accepts banner advertisements including skyscrapers, rectangles, and horizontal banners.
Requirements
Digital advertisements must:
Be in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the AAD Advertising Standards.
Be clearly distinguishable from editorial content. All digital ads are labeled with the word “advertisement”.
Be in the format of static or rotating banner ads, audio or video that requires “push to play”. The following types of electronic advertising are prohibited: pop-ups, scroll-overs, corner peels, crawls, and floating ads.
Be placed at random. Advertisements will not appear adjacent to relevant editorial except by chance. Advertisements may not appear adjacent to content that carries AMA Category 1 Credits.
Not collect any personal information from any user, except with the user’s knowledge and permission and only after providing information about the uses to which the information will be put. Cookies, applets and other such files are prohibited if those files transmit any personally identifiable information to the advertisers or agencies without the user’s knowledge and permission.
Disclose the full rules for any market research or promotion associated with an advertisement. This information must be displayed in the advertisement or available via a hyperlink.
Limitation of liability
The Academy will endeavor to publish advertisements promptly and accurately. The Academy assumes no responsibility to verify statements contained in an advertisement. Any inadvertent errors by the Academy will be corrected promptly upon discovery, without additional charge, and such obligation to correct shall constitute sole liability of the Academy.
Interpretation and application of standards
All matters and questions not specifically covered by these Standards, or other specific Academy guidelines, are subject to the final decision of the Executive Committee of the Academy.
Violations
Specific actions may be taken by the Academy for violation of any provision of these standards. The action taken will be determined on the basis of the particular circumstances of the violation, but in cases involving major violations, may include legal action.
