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Advertising and legality of a product

We now live in a world where the rules and regulations are not consistent from one place to another. We are not just talking different countries here, but also different states and regions within a given country. While there are always going to be people who flaunt the rules, law-abiding advertisers need to know where their products or services might be non-compliant or even illegal and they should serve advertising where they are legal. Let’s take a closer look at what some of those activities might be, while also looking at the pros and cons of marketing such things.

Gambling and marijuana

These are common but just two of the activities that are legal in some places and not in others. While both are huge money-making industries, you really need to be careful if you decide to advertise either. In most cases, age restrictions also come into play, which makes the task of getting ads out to the right people all the more difficult. You really need to be willing to put in a little bit of extra effort when advertising these types of industries, which is something we will discuss more in a moment.

Importance of geo-targeting

You cannot simply place ads for those questionable products on any adserver and hope for the best. You need to make sure that you are very specific when it comes to accurate geo-targeting, which means taking the time to familiarize yourself on where these products can be used, purchased and advertised legally. Failing to do so means not only having the ads land in front of the wrong crowd and place with potential legal consequences, it also means wasting a whole lot of your advertising budget showing ads to people that can’t buy what you are selling.

Fine print and marketing restrictions

This is particularly true when it comes to advertising for gambling sites, tobacco, alcohol products or adult-only services, as there are often very specific rules in place for marketing those products and services. For example, a bettor may be given a bonus for creating an account and depositing money at an online casino, but the rules will almost certainly dictate that the free money needs to be played many times over before the user can cash out. Such stipulations need to be shown up front, usually in the small print.

Difficulty in finding publishers and ad networks

While there is certainly money to be made advertising these types of products, many publishers and ad networks choose to steer clear to avoid any potential and uncertain legal issues. They may also see the reach for these products as being a little too narrow and not potentially profitable without some serious due diligence.

Niche publishers and ad networks

As popular as marijuana has become in recent years, both recreationally and medicinally, there are still a lot of people out there who are against it. As such, the sites that embrace this type of advertising are usually industry specific or within a limited niche and community. What that generally means is that there are fewer available outlets and these publishers tend to charge higher ad rates for a smaller audience. Will you get at a positive ROI that makes advertising on these sites worthwhile?

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