Digital Advertising Guidelines

General Rules

Effective as at 23 November 2021

Our Digital Advertising Guidelines are developed to provide a comprehensive overview of advertising opportunities based on Gumtree AU Pty Ltd websites and Platforms (Gumtree or Gumtree Media). This document intends to set out all general rules that you are required to comply (DOs and DON’Ts of advertising with Gumtree Media) and includes pointers to more specific documents and product specifications where applicable and intends to be consistent with the latest IAB Australia guidelines.

At any time and for any reason in its sole and absolute discretion, Gumtree Media reserves the right to:

(i) make amendments, changes, additions, or deletions to this policy, including without limitation, the appendix;

(ii) refuse or remove any advertising and/or advertisers; and/or;

(iii) make exceptions to this policy on a case-by case or other basis.

Advertising Creative Material

Must:

  • Be of sufficient quality – i.e. meeting professional design standards, using suitable image resolutions, etc.
  • Leave users to remain in full control of rich media units, i.e. able to terminate, shut down or minimise overlays, players, etc.
  • Include a static or animated fallback creative format to be served to users with low-powered devices, without sufficient plugins or where JavaScript disabled.
  • Contain a maximum of 2 loops (3 playthroughs).

Must not:

  • Promote stereotypes based on gender, race, sexuality or religion.
  • Is provocative in nature and upsetting to the site audience or negatively impact intellectual property.
  • Contains but is not limited to sensationalised violence, crime, nudity, or vulgar activity.
  • Contains auto-sound.
  • Disables site functionality.
  • Interferes with correct site operation, analytics and/or other advertising.
  • Contains or prompt download of executable / installation files.
  • Set third, fourth etc. party cookies for pre- or re-targeting purposes is not permitted.
  • Contain a series of epilleptic flashes, strobing effects or quick transitions.

Furthermore: 

  • Gumtree Media reserves the right to remove or request the removal / revision of any creative that is deemed unsuitable.
  • Gumtree Media may at its absolute discretion refuse to publish any advertisement.
  • Gumtree Media reserves the right to reject / remove any rich media ad from the rotation that does not meet creative specifications, contravenes guidelines or adversely affects site performance other ad placements or user experience.
  • If creative is late, an estimated percentage of impressions that are equivalent to the prorated daily inventory level will be cancelled from the total impressions booked.

With this in mind,  if a creative unit is built by Gumtree Media we will also host/ad serve and report on the creative unit. If however, 3rd parties (to Gumtree Media) build a creative unit, such as client and/or creative agency, we expect 3rd party ad server tags, meaning the client/agency hosts/ad serves and reports on said creative unit.

Note: some executions are composed of multiple creative units, coming together to form one product, which in turn may be a mix of 3rd party and Gumtree Media built/hosted assets.

Editorial Guidelines:

  • Advertising content must clearly identify the advertiser and/or brand.
  • The content of an ad must correspond to the website one is directed to on clicking the ad.
  • Content that is or appears to be a blog, review, press releases, simulation of news coverage, or other form of disguised advertising, all as determined by Gumtree Media in its sole and absolute discretion, is not permitted.

No Advertising May:

  • Include Gumtree’s name, design elements, or other intellectual property (such as name, logo, or typography).
  • Include irrelevant, deceptive, false, or misleading information.
  • Suggest Gumtree endorses an advertiser, product, brand, or offering, unless there is an agreement with Gumtree Media that provides Gumtree Media’s explicit approval.
  • Include any targeted messaging based on a user’s behaviour or personal information. Advertising may contain a field for users to enter data or a drop-menu for users to make their own selection.

All Advertising:

  • Must adhere to these advertising guidelines, all other Gumtree Media terms and policies, comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and be appropriate for all Gumtree Media audiences. Such compliance is the sole responsibility of the advertiser.
  • Must comply with the the standards for online advertising published by the Coalition for Better Ads available here.
  • Must be consistent with the latest IAB Australia Guidelines available here.
  • Must adhere to the ACCC Advertising and Selling Guide available here.

User Data Collection:

Advertisers are not permitted to at any time collect any personal information (as that term is defined in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) via any advertisement, widget, tool or equivalent placed on any media owned and/or operated by Gumtree Media without prior written approval. Such approval may be given or withheld in our sole discretion and may be made subject to such conditions as Gumtree Media may determine in its sole discretion.

Lead Time & Delivery Deadlines

Ad specs are classified into a three tier system to determine their delivery deadlines and governing business rules.

Delivery deadlines are: 

  • Tier 1 – 3 business days prior to live date.
    For standard banner and text / HTML (non-rich media) ad creative
  • Tier 2 – 5 business days prior to live date.
    For standard rich media creative (e.g. rich media without custom functionality)
  • Tier 3 – 10+ business days prior to live date.
    For any non-standard / custom executions. Lead time may vary depending on the nature and complexity of the execution. Minimum lead time is 10 business days. 

Note: A production fee applies to all Tiers in accordance with the rate card shared with you separately.

Ad Units can be designed by the Gumtree creative studio. Please supply JPG/PNG/GIF image assets accompanied by a detailed storyboard if animation is required, and click and impression trackers.

Ads within the Gumtree AU Pty Ltd Network may be served through either iframe or JavaScript ad-tags. All approved third party vendors support both methods; however a member of the Ad Operations team will inform you if a specific execution requires a particular tag type / delivery method. Third party redirect tags must be live when submitted.

If the creative was received outside the required deadline, we reserve the right to delete and charge the activity as stated in our IO with you.

Brand Safety

Gumtree Media’s brand safety policy applies to direct and programmatic guaranteed bookings, programmatic private marketplace bookings across Gumtree Media’s digital products, and off-site purchases of advertising on behalf of clients.

The aim of the following extensive list of brand safety policies is to ensure every impression for which we are responsible – on and off our site – promotes brands in an engaging and positive way.

We employ technologies when advertising across Gumtree Media’s digital properties to use these tools in the first instance. These technologies will target the ‘prohibited advertising categories’, via a process. Our user experience (UX) teams manually flag poor user generated content that will deem inappropriate to advertise on. 

We also further utilise a cybersecurity software that protects our platform from malicious cybercriminals, bad actors, and malware to ensure all ads delivered to our platforms are safe and secure.

Prohibited Advertising Content

  • Competitors of Gumtree may not advertise on Gumtree owned and/or operated sites and platforms.
  • Advertising that infringes and/or contradicts (or that could infringe and/or contradict) any Gumtree strategy or initiative, as determined by Gumtree in its sole and absolute discretion, is not allowed.

Prohibited Advertising Categories

  • Adult Content
    • Humour, imagery, text, video, or audio that is not appropriate for non-adults is prohibited.
    • Advertising for sexual enhancement products, including but not limited to, testosterone boosters or other products for increasing sexual performance, drive, pleasure, or endurance, are prohibited.
    • Dating, personals and relationship introduction clubs.
  • Drug & Pharmaceutical Content
    • Advertising that facilitates the distribution, use, or cultivation of illegal substances or substances of questionable legality is not permitted. 
    • Advertising that facilitates the distribution or use of illegal drug paraphernalia, which includes any legitimate equipment, product, or material that is modified for making, using, or concealing illegal substances or substances of questionable legality is prohibited.
    • Advertisers that promote health care services, health or wellness products, and/or weight-loss/dietary products or supplements must comply with all applicable regulatory guidelines, laws, industry best practices, and other requirements.
    • Advertisers that promote pharmaceuticals must comply with all applicable regulatory guidelines, laws, industry best practices, and other requirements, including by maintaining up-to-date certification for the markets in which they advertise, as applicable.
  • Hate Speech Content
    • Advertising that includes, facilitates or promotes (or that could include, facilitate or promote) hate speech is prohibited, regardless of whether it is directed at an individual or a group. This includes any advertising content and targeting, indirectly or directly, which Gumtree determines, in its sole discretion, may degrade, intimidate or incite violence, hatred, or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or other differentiating factors.
  • Illegal Downloads
    • Advertising may not automatically install, copy, or download programs, without the user’s express prior consent.
    • Any advertising that offers software updates, codec, extensions, or downloads that promise to speed up, fix, or improve computer performance will not be allowed.
    • Advertising for technical support for another company’s products or services, or for services that promise to fix or improve another company’s products are not allowed.
  • Offensive Content
    • Potentially offensive advertising content (including language, text, images, graphics, videos, cartoons or animations), as determined by Gumtree in its sole and absolute discretion is prohibited. This includes, without limitation: content that facilitates, promotes, or uses offensive, distasteful language or images; scare tactics; vulgar, gross, obscene, or inappropriate images or language; profanity; scary, threatening, or sexually suggestive content. 
    • Advertising that includes illegal, non-consensual, denigrating, obscene, sexual or violent activity, including but not limited to bestiality, brutality, torture, death, illegal drug use, cruelty, prostitution, pedophilia, rape, incest, extreme or shocking sex, child pornography, strippers/strip clubs, escorts, or advertising content that relates to persons who are, or are suggested to be, under the legal age permitted in applicable jurisdictions is strictly prohibited.
  • Suspicious Activity
    • Deceptive products & services
    • Pyramid schemes, Chain letters or Employment schemes
    • Background searches or arrest records
    • Firearms and weapons
    • Fireworks and explosives
    • Spyware, Spy cams or surveillance equipment
  • Violence
    • Advertising that advocates, glorifies, facilitates, or promotes rape, torture, cannibalism, killing, human suffering or death, mutilation or self-mutilation, suicide, self-harm, exploitation, human trafficking, violence against people and/or animals or graphic or violent images, such as images showing blood or dismemberment, is prohibited. This includes business models that exploit socio-economic differences and/or cruelty to people and/or animals.

Restricted Advertising Categories

To provide the best possible user experience, we may restrict or modulate content related to certain product services. Please reach out to your Gumtree Media representative if you have any questions.

  • Alcohol

    Advertising of alcohol, and services related to alcohol such as alcohol delivery services, must comply with all applicable federal legislation and regulations, and the restrictions and requirements set out therein.

    Advertising must contain any required warnings and responsible drinking messaging, such as “Please drink responsibly”, or “do not drink and drive” in the ad copy.

    Advertising must not be appealing to persons under the legal drinking age with the following:

    • Encourage non-drinkers to drink;
    • Encourage general consumption of alcohol, as opposed to brand preference;
    • Associate alcohol with youth or youth symbols, or activities primarily appealing to youth;
    • Depict persons who could be mistaken for youths;
    • Include an endorsement from a person likely to be a role model to minors;
    • Depict alcohol as a status symbol, a necessity, or an escape from life’s problems;
    • Imply that social acceptance, status, success or business or athletic achievement may be acquired or enhanced by drinking alcohol, or that drinking alcohol is necessary to enjoy or takes precedence over any activity;
    • Portray a product, or consumption, in an immoderate way;
    • Exaggerate the importance of a product or its packaging;
    • Refer to or depict the effects of alcohol, or misuse, dependency of compulsive behaviour,
    • Use imperative language with respect to a purchase;
    • Associate the product with activity requiring skill, care or mental alertness or involving an obvious element of danger, including without limitation, driving;
    • Suggest a product should be preferred due to higher alcohol content;
    • Depict persons with alcohol in circumstances where it would be prohibited;
    • Depict alcohol consumption, directly or indirectly;
    • Make claims with respect to the healthful, nutritive, curative, dietetic, stimulative or sedative benefits of alcohol.
  • Finance
    • Advertisers who promote financial products and services must ensure they comply with this policy and with all applicable laws and regulations, industry best practices, and other requirements.
  • Credit Report Advisors
    • Advertisers who offer ‘credit report’ products & services must comply with all applicable laws, regulations, requirements and references in their advertisements and on the landing page.
  • Gambling & Lotteries
    • All gambling ads require pre-approval from Gumtree.
    • Gambling advertisers must ensure compliance with the online rules & legislation specified by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). You will also need to ensure that you follow any state laws surrounding the promotion of gambling promotional content.
  • Beauty & Cosmetics
    • Advertising for beauty and cosmetic products that is false or misleading, or that implies a person may experience or achieve unrealistic or extreme results is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to, claims to provide results similar to a pharmaceutical or surgical procedure. 
    • Claims must be supported by appropriate studies, consumer testing, and/or other scientific evidence in accordance with applicable law.
    • Advertising for beauty and cosmetic products must comply with all applicable laws.
  • Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals (Prescription and Over-the-Counter) & Health-related Products & Services
    • Advertisers that promote health care services, health or wellness products, and/or weight-loss/dietary products or supplements must comply with all applicable regulatory guidelines, laws, industry best practices, and other requirements.
    • Advertisers that promote pharmaceuticals must comply with all applicable regulatory guidelines, laws, industry best practices, and other requirements, including by maintaining up-to-date certification for the markets in which they advertise, as applicable.
    • All pharmaceutical ads require pre-approval from Gumtree.