Compliance
Part of Native campaign compliance reviews
Maintaining a record of sponsor approvals and disclosures
Keep sponsor acceptance, publisher release decisions and disclosure treatments tied to exact native campaign versions.
Keep a version-linked record of what the sponsor accepted, what the publisher authorised for release, and which disclosure treatments were approved. A later reviewer should be able to identify the approved article, headline and promotion without inferring approval from an undated message or silence.
Attach decisions to exact versions
Give each article, promotional variant and disclosure treatment a stable identifier. Store the decision with that identifier and retain any conditions or objections.
Field / What to capture
- Item and version
- The article, headline, image, card or disclosure treatment reviewed
- Decision and date
- Approval, conditional approval, revision request or hold
- Reviewer
- Name, role and scope of authority
- Basis
- Claim evidence or reason a material statement was removed
- Disclosure
- Approved wording and the surface it covers
- Follow-up
- Change that would reopen the decision and its owner
These are practical record fields, not a prescribed legal form. Keep sponsor acceptance of product facts or messaging distinct from the publisher’s decision to release the complete presentation.
Show what the disclosure approval covered
Store the approved wording beside the relevant creative and destination versions. A note saying “label approved” does not show whether that label applied to a publisher card, distributor unit or article page. Attach a preview where one is available, while recording its limits: it shows an appearance, not every impression or delivery volume.
The Australian Press Council’s advertorial guideline recommends identifying commercially arranged newspaper and magazine content that looks editorial. A record documents the team’s decision under applicable requirements; it does not prove the live treatment appeared as intended.
Regulatory guidance on sponsored content transparency
- Australian Press Council guideline
- Requires identification of commercially arranged content that mimics editorial style
- AANA Code of Ethics
- Mandates clear disclosure for advertorials and sponsored content
- ASIC RG 234
- Outlines requirements for disclosures in financial promotions
Reopen an affected decision
Set triggers such as a changed claim, product condition, headline, sponsor identity, image, label, template or destination. Identify the earlier approvals that depended on the changed item and seek fresh decisions against the revised version. Keep the previous decision as part of the history.
Set access and retention according to the organisation’s applicable obligations and agreements.
At handover, provide the approved versions, decision owners, conditions and route for corrections. Live-placement checking and delivery reporting remain separate evidence.
