Policies
Summary of CBC Advertising Standards
Table of Contents
- Objectives
- General Principles
- Advertising Content
- Legal and Regulatory Requirements
- Scheduling Limitations
- Review of Advertising Material
- How to Get in Touch
OBJECTIVES
CBC applies a series of criteria to all advertising broadcast on its facilities to ensure that all commercial messages are presented with integrity and good taste and are not false, misleading or unfair, or exploitive of children. Commercial messages must also comply with the broadcasting regulations of the CRTC and any applicable laws and regulations.
CBC Advertising Standards is responsible for the application of these criteria and the approval of all commercial messages before they are broadcast on CBC.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING
Whether it is caused by the omission of relevant information or by the arrangement of accurate information in such a way as to lead to a wrong conclusion, false or misleading advertising is prohibited under the Competition Act. Under CRTC regulations, CBC cannot broadcast anything in contravention of the law. Therefore, as soon as it realizes that false or misleading advertising is broadcast on its facilities, CBC must immediately remove the message from the air.
STANDARDS OF TASTE
Advertising material intended for broadcast on CBC facilities must meet the Corporation's advertising presentation standards in word, tone and scene. Since viewers can exercise a choice in program viewing but not in commercial viewing, all advertising is examined as to its suitability for introduction into the intimacy of the home and its respect of all viewers.
Racial and ethnic characteristics as well as religious convictions should be treated with dignity and decency, as must any physical, mental or speech imperfections. They must not be held up as subjects of ridicule. Also, individuals or groups should not be disparaged, exploited or unfairly represented because of age, occupation, creed or sex. The Corporation is particularly sensitive to sex-role stereotyping and encourages advertisers to present both sexes fairly in all types of occupational roles.
Commercial concepts should not encourage or depict as being desirable any activity that is contrary to widely held standards of behaviour. Messages may not demand audience attention through use of the shock value of double entendre or by undue exploitation of sex, nudity or violence.
The correct use of language is an important element of CBC commercial presentation standards.These considerations can only be waived to depict typical characters or situations. Messages should also avoid the impression of excessive loudness and be presented at a pace that can be comfortably followed.
ADVOCACY ADVERTISING
The term 'advocacy advertising' refers to any message that advocates a point of view or particular course of action on issues of public interest or concern. CBC accepts such messages because it believes that the democratic rights of Canadians will best be served by policies promoting freedom of speech. The criteria used for the approval of advocacy messages are based on the protection of the fundamental rights of all parties and on the principles of honesty and good taste. Advocacy advertising is subject to review and approval by the Office of Programming Policies.
Advocacy advertisements are subject to the following restrictions:
(a) Advertisements of partisan, political character will not be accepted, except during general election campaigns.
(b) Advertising considered to be defamatory, misleading, deceptive or contrary to law is unacceptable.
(c) Advocacy advertisements are subject to CBC's standards of good taste which apply to such issues as race and ethnicity, sex-role stereotyping, religious convictions, physical and mental handicaps, age and language.
(d) Advocacy advertisements will not be aired on CBC all-news channels, Newsworld and RDI, nor within information programs, programs whose regular mandate is to report on controversial public issues, or programs in which the CBC does not schedule advertising.
(e) The CBC does not carry advertising on its radio services, except as required by the Canada Elections Act and as provided for by the specific conditions of its licences, as prescribed by the CRTC.
(f) Advocacy advertisements for or on behalf of religious organizations must not proselytize or promote religious ideologies or doctrines.
REPUTATION OF THE ADVERTISER
The CBC makes every effort to ensure continuing public confidence in all advertising scheduled on its facilities. Particular caution is exercised in advertising where the consumer is invited to pay in advance of delivery of goods and services.
ADVERTISING CONTENT
ADVERTISER IDENTIFICATION
All commercial messages must allow the viewer to identify the name of the advertiser. While messages promoting tangible goods and services implicitly carry the advertiser's name, it is not the case of messages urging the adoption of an attitude or course of action. These messages must therefore include, in audio or video, the name of the advertiser on whose behalf the message is broadcast.
SUPPORT OF CLAIMS
Measurable claims are subject to documentation.They should be sufficiently complete and properly qualified to avoid misrepresentation. The advertiser must be able to supply this documentation upon request.
COMPARISON ADVERTISING
Comparison advertising should be positive, fair and meaningful in terms of benefits to the consumer and should avoid scenes or references derogatory to other products, services or industries. The emphasis must be on the advertiser's own goods or services and not on the disadvantages or shortcomings of competitors.
ENDORSEMENTS OR TESTIMONIALS
No person in a testimonial or endorsement may be portrayed or referred to in a manner that is deceptive or misleading, or in a way that is injurious to the person or the person's profession.
CBC employees may not personally endorse an advertiser's product or service when delivering or appearing in a commercial. Messages must not imply the CBC uses a product or service in its studios or offices.
USE OF OTHER LANGUAGES
Only commercials that are specifically created for English- and French-speaking audiences are broadcast on the respective CBC English and French services. Commercials created in a language other than the broadcast language of the station may not be adapted by using subtitles as a translation device. The use of another language as an attention-getting device or for creative effect is acceptable.
SUPERS
Supers considered essential to the meaning of a message should be sufficiently large and on the screen long enough to be easily read.
CLOSED CAPTIONING
When closed captioning is used in commercial messages the script material must include a complete description of the captioning. The captioning should not interfere with the legibility of supers used in advertising.
POLITICAL ADVERTISING
The CBC does not accept advertisement of a partisan, political character at any time other than during federal, provincial or territorial general election campaigns. Advertising during by-elections or municipal elections is not acceptable.
The term 'partisan political character' refers to advertising intended to promote or oppose directly a registered party, candidate or elected official.
Only political parties which have been registered by the Federal, Provincial or Territorial Chief Electoral Officer are qualified to purchase time on CBC facilities for the broadcast of political advertisements.
The period of time during which political advertisements can be aired is limited. The duration of that period is determined early in the campaign in accordance with the requirements of applicable legislation and CBC policy. No political advertising is broadcast on polling day.
Political advertisements cannot be scheduled in the body of information programs. In the case of provincial or territorial general elections, political advertisements are also prohibited on Newsworld and RDI.
SECONDARY ADVERTISERS
Time is sold to advertisers to promote their own goods and services. When exposure or mention of another commercial name or brand occurs in an advertiser's message, the emphasis must be on the advertiser's own goods and services and not on the secondary advertiser's goods and services.
UNACCEPTABLE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Other than political advertising which is not accepted except during general election campaigns, advertising of specific products and services, such as tobacco products, dating services, occult sciences, astrology, construction sites where development plans have not been registered, services considered competitive with CBC services, is unacceptable on CBC facilities. The list of unacceptable products and services is reviewed regularly. Full details may be obtained through the nearest Advertising Standards office.
LEGAL AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
COMMERCIAL CONTESTS, CASINOS AND OTHER GAMES OF CHANCE
Advertisements promoting commercial contests, casinos and other games of chance are acceptable on CBC facilities if they comply with the provisions of the Criminal Code and of the Competition Act which govern these activities. Other games of chance refer to lotteries, bingos, draws, sweepstakes, door prizes, scratch-and-win, etc.
In the case of a contest, complete contest rules and regulations as well as the script must be submitted to CBC Advertising Standards well in advance of scheduling deadlines. If an advertiser is promoting a scheme that comes within the lottery section of the Criminal Code, proof of a lottery licence or other authorization from the appropriate authority, as the case may be, should accompany the submission.
Advertisements for games of chance located in casinos can only be broadcast in the provincial or territorial jurisdictions where the casinos have been licensed to operate. Outside of these jurisdictions or outside of Canada, only the non-gaming aspects of the establishment can be advertised.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Advertisements for alcoholic beverages are allowed in any province or territory where such advertising is not prohibited by the laws of the province or the territory where the messages are broadcast. The messages must comply with the Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages, issued by the CRTC and dated August 1, 1996, and must not encourage general consumption of alcohol. All types of alcoholic beverages can be advertised. Any person or company involved in the sale of alcoholic beverages may sponsor an advertisement for such products on CBC.
CBC does not broadcast alcoholic beverage advertisements during periods when the audiences are mainly under the legal drinking age.
NON-PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Prior to approval by CBC Advertising Standards, advertising scripts for non-prescription drugs must be cleared by Advertising Standards Canada (ASC). The ASC's particulars are the following:
ASC Clearance Services
175 Bloor Street East, South Tower, Suite 1801
Toronto, ON M4W 3R8
Phone: (416) 961-6311
Fax: (416) 961-7904
E-mail: info@adstandards.com
SCHEDULING LIMITATIONS
PROGRAM INTEGRITY
The content of CBC programs must not be perceived as being influenced by advertising scheduled in or adjacent to them, whether the advertiser is a commercial company or a non-profit organization.
ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN UNDER 12
According to the conditions of licence of its two television networks, CBC cannot accept advertising of any kind in programs designated by the CBC as directed to children under 12 years of age. Advertising directed to children is acceptable on a limited basis (maximum two minutes per clock half-hour/four minutes per clock hour) in and adjacent to programs designated by CBC as having an overall family/adult audience appeal.
A child-directed message may be broadly defined as follows:
A message on behalf of a product or service for which children under 12 years of age are the only users or form a substantial part of the market as users and the message is presented in a manner that appeals primarily to children. (Appeal can be conveyed by a particular approach, the visual content, the vocabulary, etc.)
Advertising directed to children under 12 must comply with CBC's criteria for acceptable products and content in this area. These criteria are available upon request.
However, messages on behalf of child-use products or services can be categorized as adult-directed. Factors that will tend toward this categorization include:
(a) use of product or service by all ages, e.g., many foods, candies, soft drinks, restaurants;
(b) participation of older people (alone or with children);
(c) adult vocabulary and selling points, e.g., safety, educational benefits, durability, enjoyment.
Assessment of the primary target audience of a message rests with CBC Advertising Standards. Final assessment of the primary audience appeal will depend upon the combined video and audio impact of the produced message. For example, even though the audio portion of a message for a child-use product may be obviously directed at the parent, the message could be assessed as child-directed if the video portion is judged to appeal primarily to children.
Advertisers and agencies should not hesitate to consult with CBC Advertising Standards at an early stage in the development of messages for child-use products or services.
NEWS BROADCASTS
CBC "newscasts" cannot be sponsored. Advertising messages scheduled in news programs may not give the impression of news sponsorship. The person reading or appearing in advertising material scheduled in or adjacent to a news program may not be the same person as the news reader. Commercial presentation that might be mistaken for a news item or bulletin is not allowed.
ELECTION, PLEBISCITE OR REFERENDUM CAMPAIGNS
Commercial messages for federal, provincial or municipal government departments and agencies may be broadcast during election, by-election, plebiscite and referendum campaigns. However, if such messages take on a political significance in the context of the campaign, their scheduling may be restricted or suspended for the duration of the campaign.
INFOMERCIALS
Under the conditions of its licences, CBC cannot broadcast any infomercial.
NON-SPONSORABLE PROGRAMS
The CBC reserves the right to determine the type of CBC programs that may not be sponsored or interrupted for commercial messages and the type of programs that may contain a limited amount of commercial content.
COMMERCIAL TIME LIMITS
The CRTC sets out a maximum time limit of 12 minutes per clock hour of advertising material on CBC's two main television networks and on Newsworld, and eight minutes on RDI. According to the CRTC, advertising material means any commercial message, public service announcement and programming that promotes a station, network or program.
REVIEW OF ADVERTISING MATERIAL
All commercial messages intended for broadcast on CBC facilities require Advertising Standards' approval before scheduling.
Separate submissions for commercial messages are required in both languages when the material is intended for broadcast on both English and French CBC stations.
SCRIPT IN ADVANCE OF PRODUCTION
Whenever possible, commercial scripts should be submitted in advance of production. This can avoid costly revisions of produced material.
PRODUCED MATERIAL
Commercial material in its final form (Betacam tape, broadcast quality), together with the exact audio/visual transcript, should be submitted well in advance of scheduling deadlines.
CBC APPROVAL
CBC Advertising Standards numbers are assigned to all commercial material for national and regional advertisers at the time the produced message is reviewed and approved for broadcast. CBC Advertising Standards numbers do not have an expiry date.
National advertisers whose material is scheduled for network broadcast should submit their material to one of the following locations:
ENGLISH COMMERCIALS
CBC ADVERTISING STANDARDS
Courier Address:
Canadian Broadcasting Centre
Room 6H202
205 Wellington Street W.
Toronto, Ontario M5V 3G7
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 500, Station"A"
Room 6H202
Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6
Telephone: (416) 205-7342
Fax: (416) 205-2815
FRENCH COMMERCIALS
BUREAU DU CODE PUBLICITAIRE
Courier Address:
Maison Radio-Canada
20e étage
1400, boul. René-Lévesque est
Montréal (Québec) H2L 2M2
Mailing Address:
Case postale 6000
Montréal (Québec) H3C 3A8
Telephone: (514) 597-4249
Fax: (514) 597-4684
Regional advertisers should contact the appropriate CBC Advertising Standards offices in their region.
