Octave is committed to ensuring that an advertiser is able to reach the right listener at the right time in a premium and brand-safe environment.

We represent a variety of brands across broadcast audio and podcasts spanning an array of verticals such as news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle. We manually vet all partner stations and broadcasts to ensure that they meet the standards that our advertisers would expect. The majority of our partners are broadcast radio stations which adhere to Ofcom rules and regulations and maintain the standards expected of a national broadcaster. We have agreements in place with all our partners to ensure these standards are met and we monitor to ensure that this is the case. All of our content is free from adult themes and will never drive false news or hatred. 

We recognise that many advertisers have concerns about appearing directly adjacent to content that may upset or concern listeners. Quite often this takes the form of news content around events such as Covid or war. As a broadcast medium we would seek to assure advertisers that we run ads within a break which would then be followed by station idents before an introduction to the news headlines or any other content. This ensures a gap between the advert and any specific content with the listener making the most connection between your brand and ours. 

We maintain a close group of partners with lists available to advertisers at any time, showing all possible streaming or broadcast platforms that they could appear on. They would never appear outside of these lists.

Contents 

• Hate Speech 
• Brand Safety Technology
• Ad Fraud 
• Editorial Advertising Controls 
• Ad Review and Approval 
• Editorial Review 
• Disclosures 
• Prohibited Content
  • Infringing Content 
  • Deceptive Content 
  • Hateful or Discriminatory Content 
  • Inappropriate Content 
  • Dangerous products or Services 
• Restricted Content
  • Alcohol 
  • Adult Content 
  • Gambling & Games 
  • Financial Products & Services 
  • Political Advertising 
  • Healthcare & Pharmaceutical 
• User Data Collection 
• Take Downs 
• National Events or Crisis

Hate Speech 
Octave embraces diversity and has a zero tolerance policy on hate speech which applies to all of our content and advertising. We have policies that address each aspect of the business and the behaviour expected of our employees. We will not run advertising promoting hate nor will we accept advertising that discriminates in targeting based on race, religion or sexuality. 

Technology
Within our live radio we cannot keyword match or scan content for any potentially unsafe key words. We are exploring the use of such technologies within our podcast eco system but we maintain that the standard of our editorial guidelines and adbreak system ensure a brand safe environment for advertisers.

Ad Fraud
Octave works in a fraud free environment, emphasizing the strength of the relationship between the buyer and publisher. This is supported by our transparent approach to reporting. Although current fraud is highly unlikely in the audio market, we will be monitoring the situation around fraud as Audio continues to grow and will work with industry bodies to ensure that fraud is stopped at every opportunity.

Ad Review and Approval
Ads will be passed through a Creative QA process subject for approval. Creatives are reviewed within 24 hours, although in some cases it may take longer. The creative review process consists of reviewing the advert’s content, targeting and positioning, in addition to any actions that may be taken through the ad. Cookie duration and use is also reviewed at this time. The maximum cookie duration we accept is 12 months. Octave reserves the right to reject or remove any advert.

All adverts must be free of any viruses, adware or malware. No advert will cause an adverse effect on the operation of the website. 

Octave may block infringing ads from appearing on its platforms and suspend or terminate your account(s) if your ads breach our Advertising Policy or applicable laws. 

All adverts appearing on Octave stations must be RACC approved.

We understand that we cannot vet programmatic adverts, however we do operate block lists to ensure that they meet the standards set out.

Editorial Review
Advertisements and editorial content must be clearly distinguishable. 

Editorial decisions will not be influenced by current or potential sponsors and advertisers, and will not be influenced by marketing decisions. 

Editorial can request the removal of an advert if it is felt that it contravenes the values or tone of the parent companies stations. 

Octave can also remove ads it feels contrave any of our guidelines.

Disclosures
All required disclosures and mandatory warnings in ads must be clear and conspicuous. Advertiser(s) must be accurately and clearly identified in the ad. 

Prohibited Content
Our Advertising Policy prohibits some content that we consider to be either illegal, harmful to our listeners or inappropriate for the brands we work with. No advert may contain any of the following content:

• Promotion of illegal activity or dishonest behaviour

• Promotion of religious views or services 

• Drug use 

• Violence or depict hyper-realistic violence 

• Dangerous behaviours 

• Cigarettes, cigars or other tobacco 

• Firearms, weapons or ammunition 

• Illegal wildlife trade, and products and services derived from endangered or threatened species 

• Content that is intended to appeal specifically to children

• Alcohol abuse

• Profanity

• Overtly Sexual content

• Hate Speech

• Unlicensed music content

Restricted Content
Certain advertising content is subject to stricter advertising and regulatory rules or can be otherwise sensitive. We may allow the promotion of the content below, but subject to certain restrictions. These categories include:

• Alcohol

• Sexual wellbeing and health

• Gambling

• Vaping

• Healthcare

• Political advertising

• Financial services

Octave reserves the right to refuse any advert without explanation. If there are any doubts about how an advert should be categorised please communicate with the Octave Ops Team.

User Data Collection
Ads may not collect sensitive information including about racial or ethnic origin, political opinion, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade-union membership, health or sex life without our prior permission and obtaining consent from our readers. 

The advertiser’s privacy policy must be made available when any personal information is collected. 

Personal information must be collected and processed securely. Adverts must not state or imply knowledge of personal data, sensitive information, online activity or the precise whereabouts of a user. 

Take Downs
If an advert is deemed to be serving in an unsafe brand environment or is regarded as unsuitable to run on our platforms, please report this to our Ad Operations team (operations@octaveip.com). We will require the station the ad is appearing on, the advertiser and details on why it is deemed unsafe.

National Events or Crisis
In the case of a national tragedy, stations may pull all advertising at source. This would be an editorially led decision although Octave can also make this decision if required. This decision would be taken as events unfold. This ensures that advertisers are kept away from any catastrophic events.

A key incident would be the death of a head of state. In the event of the death of the King we will pull all advertising for 24 hours. Further to this we will also be looking to enforce a similar ad-free period around the funeral of the monarch.

This code of conduct outlines the expected behaviours and practices of Octave and the podcast content creators with whom we partner. Our aim is to create a safe and transparent space for all parties including staff, creators, Octave and our advertisers. 

1. Content creators must ensure that the content they produce is accurate, informative, and entertaining and that it is suitable for the intended audience.

2. Content creators must not use hate speech and must refrain from making derogatory comments about any individual or group based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic.

3. Content creators must disclose any conflicts of interest, including any financial or personal relationships that may influence their content, and must avoid promoting products or services in a manner that could be perceived as deceptive or misleading.

4. Content creators must comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including those related to copyright and intellectual property, and must obtain all necessary permissions and licences before using any third-party content.

5. Content creators must respect the privacy of individuals and must not disclose any confidential or sensitive information without their explicit consent.

6. Content creators must ensure that their content does not infringe on the rights of any third party, including but not limited to intellectual property, privacy, and publicity rights.

7. Content creators must not engage in any behaviour that could harm the reputation of the company or its partners, including but not limited to engaging in unethical or illegal practices.

8. Content creators must be responsive to feedback from the company and its partners, and must make any necessary changes to their content to ensure that it meets the required standards.

9. Content creators must maintain professional conduct at all times and must treat others with respect and courtesy, including other content creators, the company and its employees.

10. Content creators must not misrepresent their affiliation with the company or its partners.

11. Content creators must give Octave a minimum of 4 weeks notice of any sponsorships that they are booking directly with brands. This is to allow Octave to forecast, plan and monetise upcoming availability effectively.

This code of conduct is meant to provide a framework for content creators to produce high-quality, ethical content that aligns with the company’s brand values and guidelines, while also ensuring that the content creators are treated with respect and professionalism.

Please find our privacy policy in the following link https://newsprivacy.co.uk