The purpose of this Code of conduct is to define the good practices that are required with respect to the recognisability of advertising in magazines. The rules are interpreted in compliance with Chapter 2, Section 4 of the Consumer Protection Act and Point 16 of the Guidelines for Journalists issued by the Council for Mass Media in Finland.
- It must always be easy for the reader to distinguish between editorial content and advertising.
- If in its amount of text and layout an advertisement resembles editorial material, it must be marked mainos (advertisement) in letters that are in height and thickness at least the size of the letters in the body text in the advertisement. This identifier text must be of a colour that stands out from the background colour equally clearly as the body text of the advertisement. In addition to the identifier text, the advertisement must differ clearly in its graphical expression from the expression of the editorial content in the magazine. The advertiser’s brand is not enough on its own to satisfy the recognisability requirements.
The font type in the advertisement must not copy the font types mainly used in the magazine. If the font type that belongs to the advertiser’s brand closely resembles the font type mainly used by the magazine, it must be ensured by other means that the advertisement nevertheless is easi-ly distinguishable from the editorial content. - Articles in the magazine do not contain subliminal advertising. Selection of goods and services to be presented in the articles is done on reader-oriented grounds that are determined by the theme of the article.
- If some of the content of the magazine has been produced as a part of cooperation with a company offering products or services that are also featured in the content, this must be clear to the reader. A cooperation partner’s logo is not enough on its own to meet this requirement.
- The rules are assessed from the perspective of a reader who belongs to the magazine’s ordi-nary target group, is observant and is moderately media literate. A reader of this kind must be able to recognise marketing as marketing without more precise familiarisation.
The Board of the Finnish Magazine Media Association approved on 12.12.2013 this Code of conduct as binding on the Association’s members.
