Marketing Ethics & Compliance
RGM° · Training
Regulated Category Advertising
Healthcare, financial, alcohol, gambling, more. Categories, requirements, compliance.
Why regulated categories
Healthcare, financial services, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, cannabis, and others have specific advertising rules. Violations carry significant penalties; compliance is mandatory.
Categories
- Healthcare and pharmaceuticals (FDA).
- Financial services (SEC, FINRA, CFPB).
- Alcohol (TTB, state regulators).
- Tobacco / vaping (FDA, state).
- Gambling (state, FTC).
- Cannabis (state-by-state).
- Insurance (state regulators).
- Privacy / data (FTC, state).
- Children's advertising (COPPA, FTC).
Requirements
- Claim substantiation.
- Risk disclosure.
- Geographic restrictions.
- Audience targeting restrictions.
- Platform-specific rules.
- State-level variation.
- Disclosure language.
Compliance
- Legal review process.
- Substantiation files.
- Audience targeting compliance.
- Disclosure language approved.
- Geographic targeting rules.
- Cross-platform consistency.
- Industry self-regulation participation.
Advanced playbook
- Category-specific compliance officer.
- Legal review process formalized.
- Substantiation file system.
- Audience targeting compliance.
- Geographic targeting rules documented.
- Cross-platform consistency.
- Industry self-regulation participation.
- Annual compliance audit.
- Cross-functional training.
- Crisis playbook for compliance issues.
Mistakes
- Compliance officer absent.
- Legal review reactive.
- Substantiation files missing.
- Audience targeting non-compliant.
- Geographic rules ignored.
- Cross-platform inconsistency.
- Industry self-regulation skipped.
- Annual audit absent.
- Cross-functional training missing.
- Crisis playbook absent.
Checklist
- Category-specific compliance officer
- Legal review process
- Substantiation file system
- Audience targeting compliance
- Geographic targeting rules
- Cross-platform consistency
- Industry self-regulation participation
- Annual compliance audit
- Cross-functional training
- Crisis playbook for compliance
Sources and further reading
- FTC industry-specific guidance
- FDA advertising rules
- SEC / FINRA financial marketing
- TTB alcohol advertising
- State AG guidance per category
- COPPA Children's privacy
- RGM Crisis Communication
- Industry self-regulation bodies
- Legal counsel firms per category
- Reed Smith regulatory
- Marketing Brew compliance coverage
- Industry trade association resources
Part of the Marketing Ethics & Compliance series.