Advertising Guidelines

Introduction
The following guidelines and procedures have been developed through the cooperative efforts of member publishers of the Canadian Association of Medical Publishers (CAMP). Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) agree to follow The Code of Advertising Acceptance of the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB- www.paab.ca) and CAMP Advertising Guidelines. The CAMP Guidelines are designed to set standards for general advertising and supplied advertising inserts in medical publications.

The guidelines have been developed to maintain and improve readability by healthcare professionals and equity among advertisers.

Scope
The Guidelines apply to all advertising/promotion systems (APS) appearing in publications directed to healthcare professionals.

Definition
An "advertising/promotion system (APS)" is defined as any paid message communicated by Canadian media with the intent to influence the choice, opinion or behaviour of those addressed by commercial messages. (Reference: www.paab.ca - Code of Advertising Acceptance 11.1).

General Guidelines

1. All pharmaceutical manufacturer advertising (including pre-notice of compliance teaser campaigns and advertisements for the over-the-counter products) directed to healthcare professionals and pharmacists, appearing in CAMP member publications, will carry the logo of the PAAB if pre-clearance is a requirement, certifying compliance with its approval process.
2. As a condition of CAMP membership, a publication with a distribution of 10,000 or more must be audited by a third party audit bureau or a licensed chartered accountant. Industry audit bureaus include: CCAB (Canadian Circulation Audit Bureau), BPA (Business Publication Audit) or ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation).
3. Advertising rates charged by publishers will be published annually (or more frequently) in a numeric rate card.

Advertising Insert Guidelines

1. An advertising insert is an item printed on paper or other material that is bound or tipped into a publication, for which a fee has been paid by any party other than the publisher of said publication.
2. Samples of paper stock for inserts should be submitted in advance to publications for approval. Final furnished inserts must be the same stock weight and bulk as the approved sample.
3. Non-paper insert stock is acceptable if the material demonstrates the same qualities as allowable paper stock, and conforms to the calibration limits (always check with publishers for approval).
4. Inserts for publication should be supplied fully printed, trimmed to a publisher's specific size and ready for binding (contact publishers for specifications and shipping instructions).
5. Inserts with gatefolds are acceptable as long as they follow the multi-page insert calibration limits (see below).
6. Full page and/or fractional page inserts are acceptable
7. Special effects - paste-ons may be affixed to the surface of the centre area of an insert. Attachments, dye cuts or other effects, may not extend to within two inches of any trimmed edge (including binding edge).
8. Full page and/or fractional BRCs are acceptable (bound, blow-ins or free standing) - polybags may be required for mailing contact publishers for more information.

Calibration Limits

• Single leaf inserts,
  160M (base 25 in. x 38 in.) - 80 lb. maximum is allowable
  Maximum Calibrations: .0045 in. coated stock
  .007 in. uncoated stock
• Multiple Page Inserts with or without variations (fold-over, gatefold or other effects)
  140M (base 25 in. x 38 in.) - 70 lb. maximum allowed
  Maximum Calibrations: .0035 in. coated stock
  .005 in. uncoated stock

Editorial Advertising/Promotion Systems (APS)

1. Medical publishers must clearly indicate that a single or multi-sponsored editorial report/editorial APS is paid advertising. This information must be disclosed clearly to the reader; for example, "The distribution of this supplement was made possible by ... (company name)."

Distinction

1. When editorial content is supported by outside funding AND the sponsor has influence over the content, medical publishers must clearly indicate that the editorial report/editorial APS is paid advertising. When editorial content is sponsored by outside funding but the sponsor does NOT have influence over the content (e.g., unrestricted educational grant), the sponsor must be acknowledged but the editorial is not considered paid advertising.
2. Editorial APS must be reviewed by members of the publisher's editorial board, or known authorities in that field.
3. The author(s) should be identified along with any link to the sponsoring company.

Further reference: www.paab.ca (Code of Advertising Acceptance, section 7.6 and 6.6 (a))

Front Cover Advertising

1. Ads printed on the front cover of a publication may not occupy more than 25% of the front cover space.
2. Cover wraps, removable belly bands and stick-downs carrying advertising are permitted, at the discretion of the publisher.
3. Split covers are allowed, at the discretion of the publisher, as long as they do not change the dimensions of the front cover more than 1/4" for production.

Gatefold Advertising

1. Front and back cover gatefold advertising is acceptable
2. The normal front cover may not be altered in any way to accommodate a gatefold other than 1/4 in. production requirement.
3. Gatefold inserts are acceptable (see insert section above).
4. Advertising on folded signatures is acceptable.

Polybags

1. Polybags or envelopes may be used, at the publisher's discretion, to carry material that does not otherwise conform to the insert guidelines.
2. No prescription product advertising is permitted to appear on polybags.

Breach of Guidelines
The Rx&D expects its members to adhere to the CAMP Advertising Guidelines (www.canadapharma.org - Code of Ethical Practices). When a CAMP or Rx&D member believes a breach of the guidelines has occurred, a review is initiated by the following action:

1. Written communication addressed to the President of the Canadian Association of Medical Publishers with an example of the complaint.
2. Within 48 hours of receipt, the President will advise the publisher and manufacturer of the complaint.
3. The complaint will be submitted to a review panel consisting of the CAMP President, Vice-President and the official Rx&D liaison with CAMP.
4. Within 10 working days a report will be issued by the panel.

If a violation of the code is deemed not to have occurred, a written detail of the review panel's findings will be mailed to the complainant, the publisher and the manufacturer in question.

If the guidelines have been violated, the review panel will report the infraction to the Chairman of the Rx&D Marketing Practice Review Committee.

The Rx&D Marketing Practice Review Committee will review the review panel's report and apply the appropriate penalty to its member for violation of the Rx&D code. The publisher(s) associated with the infraction will be named in the Industry Practice Review Committee (IPRC) Bulletin. An appeal procedure is provided for in the Rx&D code. If a violation is deemed to have occurred, immediate corrective action must be taken by the publisher. All future issues must be corrected and there is to be no repeat of the offence.

If a repeat does occur, the CAMP Board may by majority vote to expel the member. An expulsion notice, with full details, will be mailed to all members and parties associated with the guidelines.

The CAMP guidelines will be reviewed as necessary by the board and changes (if any) will be posted on the CAMP website. All recommendations are welcomed and should be addressed to the attention of CAMP c/o:

Canadian Association of Medical Publishers
c/o Janet Smith
Rogers Publishing
1 Mount Pleasant Rd., 7th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M4Y 2Y5
Janet.smith@rci.rogers.com