Last Revised: April 1, 2026
The Universal Ads Advertising Guidelines (the "Guidelines") provide general creative guidance in an effort to protect viewers from fraud, scams, and unsafe and discriminatory practices, and ensure a positive viewer experience. Advertisers utilizing Universal Ads for the creation and distribution of advertisements are required to comply with these Guidelines and any applicable publisher guidelines, and ensure that their advertisements are tasteful, truthful, and in compliance with all applicable laws, government regulations, including the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"), and the Federal Drug Administration ("FDA"), as well as self-regulatory group guidelines and all laws, rules, and regulations that relate to the placement of ads through online behavioral advertising and to the delivery of ads to children ("Applicable Law").
Universal Ads requires all advertisers to provide substantiation that establishes a reasonable basis for all claims made in their advertisements. All advertisements will be subject to review to ensure compliance with these Guidelines and individual publisher guidelines. Advertisements remain subject to re-review and may be rejected for violating Applicable Law, these Guidelines, or individual publisher guidelines at anytime.
Advertisements with content that is illegal or otherwise considered unacceptable to viewers are prohibited. Specifically, Universal Ads will not accept any advertisements that contain the following:
1.1 Deceptive, Offensive, or Inappropriate Content: Advertisements cannot be deceptive,misleading, defamatory, libelous, obscene, distasteful, racially or ethnically offensive, harassing, or discriminatory based on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, color, creed, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected groups.
1.2 Explicit Adult and/or Obscene Content: Advertisements that are sexually explicit, pornographic, and/or obscene.
1.3 Illegal Activities, Products, or Services: Advertisements cannot facilitate or promote illegal activities, products, or services, or contain content that is illegal.
1.4 Infringing Activity: Advertisements that infringe upon or violate any right of any third party, including, without limitation, any intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights.
Advertisements that promote products or services that fall into one of the following categories are prohibited and will not be accepted by Universal Ads for distribution on any platform:
2.1 Cannabis, Illicit/Illegal Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia: Advertisements promoting medical and/or recreational cannabis,illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and retail establishments that sell these products.
2.2 Firearms,Weapons, Ammunition, Fireworks, Explosives: Advertisements promoting firearms,weapons, ammunition, firearm and weaponry paraphernalia/accessories, pepper spray, fireworks, and explosives.
2.3 Political:Advertisements promoting a candidate for public office or a point of view on a controversial issue or ballot referendum of national, regional, or local importance.
2.4 Tobacco:Advertisements promoting cigarettes, little cigars, smokeless tobacco,electronic cigarettes/inhalers, vapor or vaping products, chewing tobacco,snuff tobacco, nicotine, or other products promoting smoking and/or tobacco use.
Individual publishers may prohibit additional categories of advertising.
The following are not allowed to run on Universal Ads per accepted broadcast and publisher standards:
3.1.1 Ads without necessary disclaimers in proper format, if required for category (see Section 4: Required Disclosures).
3.1.2 Ads that contain any profanity, excluding "hell" or "damn."
The following are not allowed to run on Universal Ads per publisher standards:
3.2.1 Alcohol:Ads appealing to minors, depicting excessive consumption of alcohol, referring to intoxicating effects, portraying alcohol with activities requiring alertness or coordination (driving, operating machinery, sports), suggesting alcohol solves problems, suggesting alcohol consumption is a rite of passage to adulthood, depicting anyone appearing under age 21, advertising hangover remedies or side effects of alcohol ingestion, or that do not contain necessary disclosures (see Section 4).
3.2.2 Chat Lines / Dating Services / Dating Apps: Ads for sexually themed personal services.
3.2.3 Pharmaceuticals: Advertisements promoting a non-FDA-approved drug or promoting off-label use of a drug otherwise approved by the FDA; stating or implying controlled medication is available without prescription.
3.2.4 Dietary (Health) Supplements and Homeopathic Remedies: Ads promoting ephedra, ma huang, chitosan, human growth hormone(HGH), comfrey, kratom, or pyruvate, or professionally endorsed by a medical professional without documentation, or that do not contain necessary disclosures (see Section 4).
3.2.5 Financial Services, Banking, and Loan Products: Ads that predict or project performance,imply past performance will recur, require upfront fees for a loan or financing product, purport to offer credit with little or no regard for a user's creditor collateral (e.g., "No credit? No problem!"), and/or do not contain necessary disclosures (see Section 4).
(a) Prohibited Cryptocurrency Advertisements: Advertisements promoting (i) loans or lenders, (ii) credit cards or prepaid cards, (iii)digital currency machines, (iv) news sites, (v) payment processors, (vi)initial coin offerings, (vii) P2P decentralized apps, (viii) initial decentralized cryptocurrency offerings, (ix) interest-bearing crypto accounts,and (x) investment advisors offering crypto or digital assets for sale.
(b) General Prerequisites for Cryptocurrency Advertisers: Upon prior legal review, Universal Ads may accept certain advertisements related to the sale, purchase, or investment in cryptocurrencies. Prior to the acceptance or airing of any cryptocurrency advertisements, all potential cryptocurrency advertisers are required to: (i) sign Universal Ads' Terms &Conditions; (ii) identify all of the jurisdictions in which the advertiser is licensed to conduct business; and (iii) provide evidence of all authorizations,registrations, and licenses to conduct a cryptocurrency business from the jurisdiction(s) in which the advertiser would like to distribute advertisements.
(c) Accepted Cryptocurrency Advertisers: Universal Ads will accept advertisements from the following types of cryptocurrency advertisers upon prior legal review of the advertisement:
(i) Cryptocurrency Exchanges (e.g., Binance, Coinbase, Crypto.com), provided: (A) the advertiser is registered as a money service business ("MSB") with FinCEN; (B) the advertiser maintains the required state money transmission license(s); (C) only approved cryptocurrency products/services are being advertised; and (D) the advertiser provides evidence that it verifies consumer identities before they can transact and makes a disclosure stating the same in the advertisement.
(ii) Cryptocurrency Aggregators (e.g., Cryptoradar, Coincap, Coingape), provided the advertiser is objective in its listings/rankings and discloses its policy for ensuring such objectivity on its website.
(iii) Cryptocurrency Wallets (e.g., FortMatic, Ledger),provided the advertisement does not guarantee "bank-grade" (or similar) security and all security claims are substantiated.
(iv) NFT Marketplaces (e.g., OpenSea, Rarible, Foundation),provided: (A) the advertiser has been operational for at least one (1) year; and (B) the advertisement does not promote fractionalized NFTs.
3.2.7 Gambling:Ads for any internet "play for free" tutorials and publications,"tip sheets," or devices whose primary purpose is the giving of odds.
3.2.8 Weight Loss: Ads that claim to (a) cause weight loss of 2 lbs. or more per week for a month or more without diet or exercise, (b) cause permanent weight loss even after ceasing to use the product, (c) block absorption of fat or calories, (d)enable weight loss of 3 lbs. or more per week for more than 4 weeks, or (e)cause substantial weight loss (i) for everyone, (ii) regardless of calories consumed, and/or (iii) by wearing on the body or rubbing on skin. 24
4.1.1 Visual Disclaimers: Must appear for a minimum of 4 seconds, in an anti-aliased,readable font size, on a plain contrasting background, within the safe title area, and not cut off. Horizontal crawls in the lower one-third of the screen are prohibited.
4.1.2 Audio Disclaimers: Must be clear and loud enough to be heard and understood.
The following must be included in ads within the stated categories per accepted broadcast and publisher standards:
4.2.1 Chat Lines / Dating Services / Dating Apps: Required language includes "18 or older" / "For adults 18 or older" / "Must be 18+," as well as all material terms, specifically fees (e.g., "$9.99/month subscription" / "Premium features require payment").
4.2.2 Alcohol: Required language includes "Drink Responsibly." For alcohol products(not establishments): corporate name, city, and state of brewer/producer/packer/wholesaler/importer. For distilled spirits: alcohol percentage by volume. Examples: "Produced by XYZ Distillery, Louisville,Kentucky" or "Imported by ABC Importers, New York, NY. 40% Alc./Vol." 30
4.2.3 Gambling, Gaming, Casinos, and Fantasy Sports: For all gambling (legalized betting,casinos, sports betting, online gambling): "Must be 21 or older" /"All players must be 21 or older" / "21+ only." For online gambling: "Only available in [applicable state]. Void where prohibited." All gambling ads must include: "If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER." For fantasy sports:"Void where prohibited" or "Not available in all areas" or"Only available in [State]. Void where prohibited." Fantasy sports must also disclose states where legality is unclear.
4.2.4 Financial Services, Banking, Cryptocurrency, and Loan Products: For all investment services, variations of: "Past performance does not guarantee future results" / "Past performance is not indicative of future results." For lending/loans, mortgage relief, payday loans, and online loans: interest rates and fees must be disclosed. Examples: "Interest rates and fees will apply. See [URL] for more information" / "APR varies. Fees apply. Visit [website] for details." For car dealership financing, variations of: "All loans are subject to pricing adjustments based on the borrower's creditworthiness and loan-to-value."
4.2.5 Dietary Health Supplements, Weight Loss Products, OTC, or Rx Medicine:
(a) Dietary Supplement FDA Disclaimer for structure/function claims—exact language required: "This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."
(b) Homeopathic Remedy Disclaimers—if the claims are not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence (tests, studies,research), both of the following are required: "There is no scientific evidence that this product works" and "This product's claims are based only on theories of homeopathy that are not accepted by most modern medical experts."
(c) Telemedicine Platforms Advertising Prescription Services—does not need to be written, but must be in the ad. Variations:"Consultation with a doctor will be required to access prescription drug services" / "Doctor consultation required for prescription services."
(d) Weight Loss Disclosures (all required if a specific amount of weight or rate of loss is mentioned): Variations of "Weight loss achieved as part of a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and exercise program"/ "Results achieved with diet and exercise." Variations of "Results are not typical" / "Results may vary" /"Individual results may vary." Time frame variations (e.g., "I lost 4 pounds in two weeks"). If faster than typical (e.g., "Most women who follow our plan for 6 months lose at least 15 pounds").
(e) OTC Medications—does not need to be written, but must be in the ad. Variations: "Follow label directions" / "Use as directed" / "Follow directions on package."
4.2.6 Contests, Sweepstakes, Lotteries, Raffles, Commercial Co-Ventures, and Games of Chance: All sweepstakes and contests must include how to enter, including alternate means of entry. For sweepstakes only: "No purchase necessary" and"Void where prohibited." All must include a termination date,restrictions/eligibility requirements, and "Terms and conditions apply" plus a URL for rules (may direct to URL for full rules but must include basic information in the ad). For-profit businesses advertising that a purchase will benefit a charity must include the period of promotion, where to find complete details (website URL), and the donation amount if fixed. Example:"For every purchase through December 31, $1 donated to [Charity]. See [website] for details."
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