Draft_City_Advertising_Content_Policy.pdf
PDF 45 KB Posted
- Attached to
- City of Boston Street Furniture Program
- Solicitation number
- EV00017655
- Issued by
- Suffolk County, Boston City, Massachusetts
About this file
This is a draft advertising content policy document for the City of Boston's Coordinated Street Furniture Program. The policy establishes standards for advertising displayed on street furniture elements including shelters, pillars, and kiosks managed by the City. The program's primary mission is to provide shelter, safety, and wayfinding information to transit riders, pedestrians, and the general public while generating revenue through advertising to maintain and expand the infrastructure. Acceptable advertising includes commercial advertising promoting goods, products, services, or events; public service communications from 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations focused on health, safety, education, arts, or social services; and City messaging promoting municipal programs and services. The City intends the advertising space to function as a non-public forum limited to commercial advertising and public service communications rather than a platform for general discourse or opinions.
The policy prohibits multiple categories of advertising content, including political advertising, religious or ethnic advocacy, false or misleading claims, content promoting violence or illegal activities, sexual or obscene material, content implying City endorsement, environmental warranty claims, gambling or sports betting promotion, cannabis sales promotion, profanity, tobacco and substance use promotion, and content depicting unrealistic body images or suggesting damage to the street furniture. Alcoholic beverage advertising is restricted to locations away from schools and must comply with industry standards. The City's Street Furniture contractor is responsible for reviewing all advertising content for compliance prior to posting and must submit uncertain submissions to the Property Management Department for final determination. Non-compliant advertising posted on street furniture must be removed within 24 hours of City notification.
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Text version
DRAFT
City of Boston Coordinated Street Furniture Program
Advertising Content Policy
Purpose of the Policy
This policy establishes consistent and reasonable standards for the display of advertising on theCityofBoston'sStreetFurnitureProgram.Advertisingspaceon theprogram'sshelters,pillarsandkiosksisanon-publicforumandtoachievethat principle the range of expressionwillbelimited.Thepolicydescribesthetypesof advertising that will be allowed, which will not be allowed and the process for review of advertising and the removal of advertising that is determined to be unacceptable.
Objective
The mission oftheCity'sStreetFurnitureProgramistoprovideshelterandsafety to transit riders, the users of active transportation, pedestrians and the general public, along with wayfinding and public messaging that provides critical information on public safety and health campaigns, and other City-led initiatives.
AdvertisingontheStreetFurnitureProgramelementsprovidesrevenuetomaintain theelementsandtoexpandthenumberofelementsintheprogram.TheCitydoes notintendfortheadvertisingspacetobeapublicforumfordiscourseoropinions and will limit the use of that space for commercial advertising, public service communications and City messages.
Acceptable Advertising
Commercial advertising that promotes the sale, rental, lease, distribution or availability of or a commercial transaction for goods, products, services or events.
Public service communications sponsored by not-for-profitorganizationsthatare exemptfromtaxationunderSection501C3undertheInternalRevenueServiceTax Code. Those messages must promote health, safety, educational or training programs, arts or cultural programs, the provision of social services and public education.
City messaging that promotes programs and services of the City and peer government agencies.
Prohibited Advertising
Politicaladvertisingthatpromotesoropposesapoliticalcandidateorparty,aballot measure or referendum or legislation or ordinances.
Advertising that supports or opposes or presents opinions on religious, ethnic or doctrines practices, beliefs of a religious entity or group.
Advertising that is false, misleading or deceptive.
Advertising that promotes violence, unlawful acts and activities, illegal goods and services or any form of unlawful conduct.
Advertising that depicts, describes or promotes sexual or obscene activity.
AdvertisingthatimpliesorassertsCityendorsementofaproduct,serviceorpoint of view.
Advertising that warranties, guarantees protection or restoration of the environment.
Advertising promoting alcoholic beverages may only be displayed on street furniturethatisnotlocatedneartoelementaryorsecondaryschools.Allalcoholic advertising shall comply with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States Responsible Practices for Beverage Alcohol Advertising Standards.
Advertising promoting gambling, sportsbetting, or other online gambling platforms.
Advertising promoting the sale or distribution of cannabis or cannabis-derived products.
Contentthatcontainstheimageofanypersoninasexualmannerordisplaysnude figures in a sexual context.
Images that could cause pressure to conform to unrealistic or unhealthy body shapes.
Content that refers to or portrays or suggests that the advertising has been damaged or subject to graffiti or vandalism.
Advertising that contains profanity or symbols or gestures that are commonly understood to be profane or disrespectful.
Content that promotes the use of tobacco, nicotine, vaping, use of alcohol, cannabis, or hallucinogenic products.
Advertising content that would cause harm to the City or its Street Furniture Program.
Process for Review of Advertising Content
The City of Boston's Street Furniture contractor is responsible for implementing this policy on behalf of the City. Prior to accepting any advertising content for display, the contractor shall review the content to determine whether the advertising complies or does not comply with this advertising policy. If the contractordecidesthecontentdoesnotcomply,changesshouldberecommended to theadvertisertobringthecontentincompliance.Ifthecontractorisuncertain astothecomplianceofthecontent,theadvertisingshallbesubmittedtotheCity’s Property Management Department (PMD) for review. If the City finds that the advertisingisincompliance,thecontractorshallbepermittedtopostthecontent.
If the content is considered to be non-compliant, the advertising will not be posted.
Advertisingthatispostedandthenfoundtobenon-compliantwiththisAdvertising Content Policy or is simply determined to be unacceptable by the City, the contractor shall take down the non-compliant advertising within 24 hours of notification by the City.
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