Hello, advertiser! Welcome to Tumblr's advertising policies, which follow below. Besides requiring that your ads comply with all necessary laws and regulations, they're meant to guide you toward creating the high-quality content that Tumblr is known for. Do note, however, that these policies are not legal advice. For legal advice, you should google "lawyer" and see what comes up.
These policies apply to all of Tumblr's advertising products. Every last one of them. Check out our business page for a full explanation of all our offerings, or talk to one of our brand strategists.
Additionally, you should know that any Sponsored Posts that are syndicated across Yahoo's network are subject to Yahoo's policies and terms.
Our policies will be modified from time to time, either in the text of the document itself, or in detailed explanations that this document links to. Make sure to check the changelog at the bottom of this document for a list of all the pertinent changes.
Looking for information about our other policies? The ones that aren't so much about advertising? Wonderful. It's nice to finally meet someone with a diverse set of interests. You'll find them in our Terms of Service.
Tumblr is the birthplace of, and destination for, everything interesting on the internet. Welcome. You're a part of it, now.
We hold our products to unreasonably high standards, and we expect our advertisers to match those standards in the creativity and integrity of their content. Below are the principles we operate by, and which guide the policies set forth in this document. If you follow these principles then you will be a wonderful advertiser on Tumblr.
Safety and trust: We care about our users, and you should too. Never promote any unsafe products, services, messages, or activities. And don’t do things that everyone knows are bad, like distributing or promoting spam, harmful code, malware, or phishing schemes. You've obviously not going to do those things, and if the thought even occurred to you then you can take your scurrilous machinations elsewhere.
Integrity and honesty: All advertising should display the highest standard of integrity and transparency. You should be honest to a fault.
Creativity: Be creative. Tumblr users appreciate that. When you tell your brand's story here, do so with only the highest editorial and creative standards. All will be well.
Let's move on from the principles behind these policies to the policies themselves. Below are detailed explanations of what we do and don't allow with regards to advertising on Tumblr.
Note that, due to the dynamic nature of native advertising, certain elements of the ad may not always appear (including but not limited to, the image or the description). Ad text may be shortened based on the space available, the device it's being viewed on, the context in which it appears, or other requirements. Advertisers are responsible for confirming that any required text is present on the ad’s landing page or creative as applicable.
Ads, including landing pages, must be written in a language that the majority of their geographically targeted audience will understand.
Taiwan only:An offer made in an ad or on a landing page must be genuine, accurate, clear to users, without material omission and cannot misrepresent the reality of the offer. Bait advertising is not allowed. All price claims made in an ad must be clearly and accurately substantiated on the landing page. Ads/landing pages must only state that a product or service is “free”, “complimentary” or similar when the the user will not incur any incidental cost in redeeming the offer for such product or service. A product or service should not be advertised as “free” or “complimentary” if this statement is contradicted in fine print elsewhere in the ad/landing page. Ads or landing pages that contain "free", "complimentary" or synonymous offers must clearly and conspicuously disclose the pertinent terms and conditions of the offer to users before they make their purchase.
Mainly, just don't lie. Should be easy. You're in advertising, after all.
Any offer made in an ad, or on a landing page, must be genuine, accurate, and clear to our users. No material omission, no misrepresenting the reality of the offer. No bait advertising. No being a sneak.
All price claims made in an ad must be clearly and accurately substantiated on its landing page.
If you're using a word like "free" or "complimentary" on your ad or landing page, you have to mean it. If the user will incur any incidental cost in redeeming the offer for your product or service, don't say anything like "free" or "complimentary." If the fine print contradicts the offer, don't say "free" or "complimentary." Any terms and conditions around an offer being "free" or "complimentary" need to be disclosed clearly and conspicuously (and prior to the user making any purchase) on any ad or landing page that makes such a claim.
"Free" offers that include the following must be obviously disclosed to the user before a purchase:
Note that a subscription requirement must always be disclosed on the ad unit within the ad text. Placing notification on the landing page alone is not sufficient
For countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa: :
For countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa: : ads must show prices in local currency.
UK and DE: ads can include prices in foreign currencies if
Landing pages or ads cannot spawn popups. Those are the absolute worst. The browser's back button and close button must work from the landing page without any interference. C'mon. These are your customers. Be nice to them.
Your ads, no matter what you’re promoting, cannot constitute or contain themes relating to:
Explicit Sexuality
Violence, death, or shock
Illegal drugs
Encouragement of cigarettes or tobacco use
Copyright or trademark infringement
Fraudulent, deceptive, expired, or misleading claims
Hate and harassment
Poor image quality or user experience
Tumblr or Yahoo affiliation or approval
We take an open minded approach to the use of sexual content in advertising. Tumblr allows ads that contain a sexual theme to a certain extent, but the ads must be tasteful, artistic, and high quality. Not trashy, porny, or lame. And absolutely never degrading or abusive.
Note that the following countries have specific rules & regulations regarding sexual content:
Middle East and North Africa | Ads may not show couples kissing or engaged in flirtatious behavior. |
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For Saudi Arabia only: | Ads may not feature models who show bare shoulders, or knees, or bare chest below the clavicle. |
Here’s what we’re pretty much fine with:
The promotion of material that shocks, disgusts, or terrifies will not be approved. We don’t allow explicit depiction of self-harm, murder or death. Gratuitous gore, violence against animals, and images that are gratuitously or egregiously startling will be rejected.
As much as we love dank memes, Tumblr prohibits the portrayal or promotion of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia in creative content. This applies to references both explicit and implied. For example, creative that implies that a person is under the influence of an illegal drug, even if it's hella funny, is not allowed.
Hey, Don Draper. It's 2015. Tumblr does not allow the promotion of cigarette, cigar, or tobacco products and/or smoking in our advertising.
Don’t put material that you don’t have the rights to in your advertisements. You are responsible for any and all content you promote on Tumblr. If your creative contains third-party material, you must have all the appropriate rights and licenses for including it in your advertisement. And for god's sake, don’t promote anything that involves or encourages copyright or trademark infringement.
Tumblr responds expeditiously to any and all notices of copyright infringement. For details, please see our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. Reports can be made using our DMCA form.
Don’t try to fool our community. Don't try to fool anyone else, for that matter. Any ad with an inaccurate or misleading claim will be rejected.
Don’t post content that shows hatred toward, or otherwise may offend, insult, or harass a person or group of people. In particular, we won’t approve any advertisements that display negativity around issues of race, ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other protected class. Our users, as decent human beings, don't like that kind of thing.
Ads should not state or imply affiliation with, or approval by, Tumblr or Yahoo without express written permission. Don't worry, we still like you.
Tumblr explicitly disallows the advertising of certain categories of products and services. Some are disallowed based on the principles enumerated above, and some are disallowed in jurisdictions (as noted below) where such advertisements are unlawful. These categories include, but are not limited to:
Tumblr does not allow ads for psychics, astrology, or horoscope services in the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen
Tumblr does not allow ads for products, businesses, or websites that are either (i) principally engaged in selling counterfeit goods or (ii) engaged in copyright infringement with no substantial non-infringing uses. This includes:
Tumblr prohibits the advertisement of any products, elements, or ingredients that are illegal, or prohibited by applicable law, or as designated by Tumblr at any time in its sole discretion.
Tumblr does not allow the advertisement of any services that explicitly provide compensation for making or using Tumblr native engagements, including but not limited to:
Tumblr does not allow advertisements for illegal degrees or student services. These include but are not limited to:
Tumblr prohibits advertisements for illegal or recreational drugs, even the fun ones, or anything specifically marketed to aid in the administration or use of such drugs.
These include:
Pretty simple—if something is illegal, don’t advertise it on Tumblr. We prohibit the advertising or promotion of illegal products and services. All of your ads, and the products and services being advertised in those ads, must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Brazil | Infant food, milk substitutes/formula, and feeding bottles |
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Chile | Fast food products and services |
Ecuador | Infant food, milk substitutes/formula, and feeding bottles |
Egypt | Pig, pork products and its derivatives |
India | Infant food, milk substitutes/formula, and feeding bottles |
Japan | Products that contain or are marketed as containing placenta |
Kuwait | Pig, pork products and its derivatives |
Malaysia | Pig, pork products and its derivatives |
Mexico | Ads using national symbols, anthems or flags |
Pakistan |
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Philippines |
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Taiwan | Ads that promote “health food” as defined under Taiwanese law |
Saudi Arabia | Pig, pork products and its derivatives |
United Arab Emirates | Pig, pork products and its derivatives |
What the fuck, even. Endangered animals have a tough enough time as it is. Tumblr expressly prohibits advertising for any product or service derived from or exploiting any species classified as endangered by the World Wildlife Federation (WWF).
Tumblr does not allow ads for personal care or beauty products that create an unrealistic expectation about the success of the product or service, claim curative properties, suggest permanent results, or imply the equivalence of surgical or prescription products.
Tumblr does not allow ads for the promotion of:
Tumblr does not allow ads for sexual products or services. This includes but is not limited to:
Tumblr does not allow ads for specific religions, religious organizations, or ads with religion as a primary theme.
Tumblr does not allow advertising for services offering unverified, overinflated, exploitative, or questionable financial gains; business models that do not clearly explain their value proposition; or potentially exploitative services focused on paying ones bills (like payday loans). If we feel unclear about the offering or product, we may reject your ad on this basis.
Tumblr does not allow the promotion of unauthorized ticket sales. This applies to the sale of counterfeit tickets and the resale of tickets without prior authorization from appropriate parties. In other words, if you don’t have a way of verifying the authenticity of your tickets, we won’t be able to accept your ads.
Tumblr prohibits advertisements for all weapons, whether or not they are legal in your jurisdiction. ✌ ☮
Tumblr does not allow the promotion of goods and services where trade embargoes exist, such as those against Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Sudan.
Keep in mind that “restrictions” here can be based both on the product or service, or on how we allow you to target the particular advertisement (for example, only to particular jurisdictions or only to particular segments of individuals). Some of these restrictions have to do with legal requirements in various jurisdictions, as noted in the accompanying explanation.
Tumblr restricts the promotion and sale of alcoholic beverages and brands through advertising on its site: (this includes facilitating the sale of alcoholic beverages, or providing them as a prize). “Alcoholic beverage” includes, but isn’t limited to, beer, wine, and spirits.
In general, you can’t advertise online alcohol sales, and any advertising related to the sale of alcohol offline or promotion of alcohol brands in general must be targeted to people of legal drinking age in the jurisdiction(s) to which the ads in question are run. Regardless of age or region targeting, alcohol ads must not be designed, or appear to be designed, to appeal to under age purchasers. Alcohol ads must include all legally required notices.
Alcohol advertisements are entirely prohibited from targeting the following countries: Russia, Norway, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Oman, The Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and any other market where the advertising of alcohol is not allowed.
In general, advertisements for pharmaceutical and other health-related products and services should be scrupulously honest and direct, not make inaccurate or exaggerated claims, and not promote the product or service for a different use than it is intended or approved for by appropriate regulatory bodies. This is people's health we're talking about, after all. Additionally, specific products and services have different restrictions based both on geolocation of the ads, as well as the product or service being advertised for. These restrictions are laid out in more detail below.
In addition, (1) all advertisements in this category are only open to approved advertisers working through a Tumblr brand strategist and (2) all advertisements targeted to specific jurisdictions must comply with local legal requirements, some of which are discussed below.
Over-the-counter medication advertisements can only target the following countries:
The following countries have additional specific restrictions on advertising of pharmaceutical or other health-related products and services:
Belgium | Pharmacies cannot be promoted if they offer prescription collection and/or delivery services |
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Hong Kong |
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India | Promoting infant food, milk substitutes and feeding bottles is prohibited |
Indonesia | Healthcare products and cosmetic products are allowed with restrictions pursuant to Indonesian law |
Japan |
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Kuwait | Healthcare products and cosmetic products are allowed with restrictions |
Malaysia |
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Mexico | Dietary supplements (including bodybuilding and weight loss supplements) are prohibited |
New Zealand | Ads for products that contain therapeutic claims are permitted subject to restrictions |
Poland | OTC drugs advertised must not be included on the Government Reimbursement Drugs List |
Philippines |
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Saudi Arabia |
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Singapore |
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South Korea |
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Spain |
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UAE | Healthcare products and cosmetic products and services are allowed with restrictions. These advertisers must be licensed by the Ministry of Health |
United States |
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Tumblr allows ads for online gambling establishments or land-based casinos on a restricted basis. The restrictions are based both on geolocation of the ads, as well as the product or service being advertised for. Additionally, Tumblr never counts its money while it's sitting at the table. There'll be time enough for counting when the deal is done.
Advertisements for licensed land casinos are permitted globally except when targeting the countries below:
Advertisements for lotteries are permitted globally except when targeting the countries within their permitted area and licensed to operate below:
Advertisements for gambling-related businesses are also restricted by the law of the relevant locally targeted jurisdiction—i.e., the ads have to be allowed by local law and must also comply with all local legal requirements. Please check with your brand strategist if you have questions or concerns.
Ads for dating sites are allowed on tumblr, provided that the ads do not:
Ads for dating sites may not be targeted to users in the following countries, no matter the content: Bahrain, Egypt, Japan*, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia.
However, ads for services related to weddings may be accepted. As with political campaigns, these will be approved on a case by case basis.
*Japan also prohibits the promotion of marriage consulting services
Tumblr restricts the promotion of financial services. The restrictions are based both on geolocation of the ads, as well as the product or service being advertised for. To the extent we accept a financial services advertisement; the ad content itself must not contain specific financial information such as interest rates or exchange rates.
Note that this policy doesn’t apply to news or information about financial services.
The following additional requirements apply to financial services advertisements targeting certain countries:
Australia | Promotion of securities is prohibited |
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Belgium | Financial services advertisers must be authorized by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority |
Brazil | Advertisements for insurance services are permitted only when the advertisers are authorized by the applicable insurance society |
Canada | Promotion of all financial services are prohibited, except for general credit and loan products |
Colombia | Financial services advertisements cannot be targeted to Colombia unless the advertising business is based in Colombia |
Germany | Promotion of investment products and services is prohibited |
Indonesia | Promotion of specific securities is prohibited (e.g., ads for buying particular stock) |
Ireland | Investment and banking services advertisers must be authorized by the Central Bank of Ireland. Collective investment fund advertisers must be authorized by way of a passport under the UCITS regime, or in the case of a non-UCITS, by the Central Bank of Ireland. |
Italy | Content for advertisements for financial services may not state any of the economic conditions under which the products are offered. In addition, financial services advertisers must be authorized by the CONSOB or the Bank of Italy, as applicable. |
Japan | Advertisements for consumer credit services are prohibited. Banking, securities, foreign exchange, and insurance advertisers must be authorized by the Japan Financial Services Agency, and credit card advertisers must be members of the Japan Consumer Credit Association. |
Malaysia |
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Mexico | Financial services advertisements cannot be targeted to Mexico unless the advertising business is based in Mexico |
New Zealand | Promotion of securities is prohibited |
Nigeria | Financial services advertisers must be authorized by the Central Bank of Nigeria |
Peru | Financial services advertisers must be licensed with appropriate Peruvian financial regulatory authorities |
Poland | Financial services advertisers must be registered with the Polish Financial Supervision Authority |
Philippines | Advertisers for pre-need insurance plans and products must be licensed by the Philippines Insurance Commission |
Singapore | Advertisers for money lending, banking, capital markets, securities, insurance, or financial advisory products or services must be authorized by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. |
South Korea | Credit and lending, financial investment, and insurance services advertisers must be authorized by the South Korea Financial Supervisory Service. |
Spain | Securities advertisers must be authorized by La Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores. |
Switzerland | Financial services advertisers must be authorized by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority. |
Taiwan | Credit card advertisers are prohibited. |
United Arab Emirates | Financial services advertisers must be licensed with the Securities and Commodities Authority or the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, as appropriate. |
United Kingdom |
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United States | Advertisements for short-term loans and mortgage assistance relief services are prohibited. Advertisements for free credit reports cannot tie those reports to a recurring subscription service |
Venezuela | Financial services advertisements cannot be targeted to Venezuela unless the advertising business is based in Venezuela. Advertisers for banking, brokerage, investment, and trading services must be licensed with the appropriate regulatory authority |
All political advertisers on Tumblr must comply with any applicable laws and regulations in the countries where the advertising is targeted. Please check with your brand strategist for more information.