Advertising procedure
Audience
Department-wide
Purpose
This procedure outlines the responsibilities of schools and corporate units of the Department of Education (the department) to ensure any advertising is undertaken in an open, transparent, fair and responsible manner.
Overview
Advertising provides an effective means to communicate and promote departmental or community information. For the purpose of this procedure, advertising has been categorised as outgoing (campaign and non-campaign) and incoming.
Outgoing advertising refers to when the department pays to place an advertisement in external media to distribute a message. For example, when a school or corporate unit places an announcement in their local paper (non-campaign) or when the department initiates a major advertising campaign to raise awareness (campaign).
Non-campaign advertising is informational in nature and developed to support the day-to-day administration of the department. It typically includes advertising for public notices, recruitment vacancies or enrolment information.
Campaign advertising is designed to raise awareness or generate attitude or behaviour change among a target audience. It usually has a significant creative element including engaging media and creative agencies and runs over a period of time.
Schools and regional offices mostly undertake non-campaign advertising, while campaign advertising is generally undertaken by central office through the Strategic Communication and Engagement (SCE) branch or by other corporate units with guidance from SCE.
Incoming advertising refers to external parties seeking to pay to advertise via the departmental channels. Typically, this involves schools being approached by local businesses, politicians or community organisations seeking to advertise through school newsletters or on school fences and signage. Paid advertising by external parties on school social media channels is not permitted.
This procedure should be read in conjunction with the:
Information about sponsorship can be found in the sponsorship procedure.
Responsibilities
Employees (non-teaching staff)
- Assess suitability of advertising proposals
- Prepare non-campaign advertising content
- Contact Mediacom to place advertising bookings
- Seek approval from Principal or Director/RD for outgoing and incoming advertising
- Arrange payment of invoices issued by Mediacom
Principals
Directors and Regional Directors (RD)
- Refer incoming advertising proposals to SCE for guidance
- Approve non-campaign advertising based on financial delegation
- Seek approval of campaign advertising materials by completing an Approval to publish form (DoE employees only) including approval from their ED, ADG and DDG
- Consult with SCE where required
Executive Directors, Assistant Directors-General and Deputy Directors-General
- Approve non-campaign advertising based on financial delegation
- Review and approve campaign advertising materials
Executive Director, Strategic Communication and Engagement
- Provide advice and guidance to schools, regions and corporate business units for both campaign and non-campaign advertising
- Oversee and approve campaign advertising
- Coordinate approval from the Government Advertising and Communication Committee (GACC)
Director-General, Department of Education
- Approve GACC submissions and final creatives for campaign advertising
Process
Outgoing advertising
State schools
Non-campaign/recruitment advertising
- School staff propose advertising to fulfil or promote immediate or short-term administrative needs for the school such as:
- If the advertising will feature images or videos of students, staff or parents/guardians, school staff must ensure consent is obtained and the completed consent form is filed appropriately
- School staff complete the Advertising checklist for schools to assess suitability of the advertising proposal
- School staff progress advertising deemed suitable to the Principal for approval, ensuring content has been proofread and checked
- If the advertisement has potential to be controversial or high-risk, the Principal must first consult with Strategic Communication and Engagement (SCE). SCE will review the enquiry and advise if the advertisement can proceed
- Principal reviews the Adverting checklist for schools ensuring advertising:
- is consistent with the Queensland Government Advertising and Marketing Communication Code of Conduct and Queensland Government advertising guidelines (Qld Government employees only)
- Principal provides approval, based on financial delegation, for school staff to place booking through the Queensland Government Master Media provider, Mediacom, using the approved template provided by Mediacom once contacted
- Mediacom, in consultation with school staff regarding drafts, will publish the advertisement and forward an invoice
- School staff organises payment of the invoice in line with Purchasing and procurement procedure requirements
Campaign advertising
Corporate offices
Non-campaign/recruitment advertising
- Employee proposes advertising to their Director (central office) or RD (regional office) to fulfil or promote immediate or short-term administrative needs for the business unit such as:
- Director/RD receives advertising proposal and consults with:
- Recruitment Services Unit/SCE will review the enquiry and provide advice
- Director/RD approves advertising, based on financial delegation, proposal ensuring advertising:
- is consistent with the Queensland Government Advertising and Marketing Communication Code of Conduct and Queensland Government advertising guidelines (Qld Government employees only)
- does not include any elements the department deems unacceptable
- Employee places booking through the Queensland Government Master Media provider, Mediacom, using the approved template provided by Mediacom once contacted
- Mediacom, in consultation with employee regarding drafts, will publish the advertisement and forward an invoice
- Employee organises payment of invoice in line with Purchasing and procurement procedure requirements.
Campaign
- Director/RD to first consult with Strategic Communication and Engagement (SCE) on all campaign advertising plans and major communication activities
- SCE will seek necessary approval from the Government Advertising and Communication Committee (GACC) – this process may involve several steps depending on the advertising spend and will generally include approval by the DG. SCE will guide the business area through this process.
- Once initial approval is granted by GACC, SCE supports the business area to engage a creative agency to develop advertising materials or develops the materials in-house
- Director/RD seeks approval of advertising materials by completing an Approval to publish form (DoE employees only) including approval from their ED, ADG and DDG
- SCE approves the Approval to publish (DoE employees only) and forwards to the DG for final creative approval
- Once approved by the DG and by GACC, SCE provides final advertising materials to the Queensland Government Master Media provider, Mediacom
- Mediacom dispatches materials and forwards an invoice once the advertising is completed
- Employee organises payment of the invoice in line with Purchasing and procurement procedure requirements.
Incoming advertising
State schools
- School staff are approached by local businesses, politicians or community organisations seeking to advertise through the school channels i.e. newsletter, signage advertising
- School staff complete the Advertising checklist for schools to assess suitability of the advertising proposal
- School staff progress suitable advertising proposal to Principal for approval
- If the advertisement has potential to be controversial or high-risk, Principal must first consult with Strategic Communication and Engagement (SCE). SCE will review the enquiry and advise if the advertisement can proceed
- Principal reviews the Adverting checklist for schools ensuring advertising:
- Principal provides approval and school staff publish the advertising
- School staff issue an invoice to the advertiser in line with invoicing (DoE employees only) requirements
Note: Revenue received from the advertisement must not displace core funding provided by the department and should instead be used to enhance educational programs in the school.
Corporate offices
- Employee is approached by external businesses or politicians seeking to advertise through the Department's channels and refers request to Director/RD
- Director/RD refers request to Strategic Communication and Engagement (SCE) for guidance
Definitions
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Term
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Definition
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Advertising
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Advertising may be incoming (e.g. where a local business pays to advertise in a departmental communication channel) or outgoing (e.g. where the department pays to place an advertisement in the external media). See campaign advertising and non-campaign/recruitment advertising.
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Campaign advertising
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Is developed to raise awareness, educate and generate positive attitudinal and behavioural changes in relation to services, products, projects, laws or policies. It is generally long-term but can include short, intense bursts of media activity on a particular matter.
Campaign advertising involves substantial strategic planning and creative development, as well as sophisticated evaluation of the creative concept, media exposure and outcomes.
Campaign advertising can appear in any medium or a combination of media. Previous campaigns include Kindy Counts, Flying Start and various teacher recruitment campaigns.
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Non-campaign/
recruitment advertising
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Non-campaign/recruitment advertising supports the basic administrative aspects of business. It is generally informational in nature, and developed to fulfil immediate or short-term needs of clients. School advertisements promoting courses or attendance to events or activities are classified as non-campaign advertising.
Non-campaign advertising includes:
- recruitment opportunities
- enrolment information
- fetes and other school events
- auctions or sales of goods or property
- tenders and expressions of interest for goods and services
- public, legal and statutory notices (for example, public meetings, consultation opportunities)
- emergency notices (for example, power supply disruptions, road closures)
- general announcements
- special notices (for example, grants, fellowships)
- special announcements (for example, electoral notices).
The Queensland Government's Master Media agency, Mediacom has pre-approved advertising templates for school- based advertisements. All non-campaign advertising must be booked through Mediacom.
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Government and Advertising Communication Committee (GACC)
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A centrally-coordinated committee responsible for reviewing advertising and communication campaigns for the Queensland Government. See GACC for more information.
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Signage advertising
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Signage advertising includes posters, placards, notices, signs, fence signage and an advertising structure to which such advertising is affixed to, painted on, or supported by.
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Unacceptable advertising
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Unacceptable advertising is advertising that:
- is contrary to the political advertising in schools protocol
- involves departmental endorsement or perceived endorsement of commercial products, services or third parties
- promotes, contains, undermines or disparages religious views or beliefs
- is religious in nature, noting that information about chaplaincy or student welfare worker events or activities should be presented as editorial content, rather than advertising, and should adhere with the Chaplaincy and student welfare worker services – guidelines for schools
- involves advertising arrangements where the school or departmental unit receives a commission or incentive for sold items
- is contrary to the ethos, values and purpose of the department
- is discriminatory, obscene or degrading
- incites people to commit illegal acts or violate school rules
- promotes tobacco products, alcohol, drugs, sex industry, gaming and gambling
Note: Organisations that receive grants or donations derived from gambling industry, such as Gambling Community Benefit Fund, are acceptable.
- promotes or condones alcohol consumption or drink driving
- portrays violence, undue aggression, and menacing or horrific elements likely to disturb children and young people or likely to disturb people in general
- uses sexual overtones to advertise products or services
- is otherwise objectionable or offensive
- involves a commercial advertiser who could reasonably be seen to diminish public confidence in a school, the department or government acting in the public interest
- conflicts with the core business of the department
- is targeted at students and/or made available on student lesson pages available on departmental or school intranet sites
- is not consistent with any existing policies of the department or Queensland Government
- conflicts with events and initiatives of the Queensland Government
- involves students providing personal information in order to access services provided by a company
- compromises privacy including providing personal information about students, parents/guardians, staff or other members of the school community to any organisation not authorised to access this information
- includes an unsolicited offer of a gift or benefit, where benefit will only be accrued upon indirect supply of contact details of students, their parents or guardians
- promotes food or drinks (including vouchers to promote food or drinks, and images, names or logos synonymous with the sale of food or drinks) that are not aligned with the intent of the
Smart Choices - Healthy Food and Drink Supply Strategy for Queensland Schools, including those items which are classified as ‘red’ under the strategy.
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Legislation
Delegations/Authorisations
Other resources
Superseded versions
Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.
1.0 Advertising