SIE Social Media Influencer Guidelines

You must comply with these Guidelines whenever you post about Sony Interactive Entertainment (“SIE”, “We”, “Our”, “Us”) products and services on any social media platform if:  We gave you free product(s), event tickets, travel benefits, or any other benefit or if you have an ongoing relationship with Us.

Be responsible: It is your responsibility to make sure your posts comply with the relevant laws, rules and regulations.  Know and follow the rules of your social media platforms. Know who your advertising regulator(s) is and follow their rules.   

Be transparent: You must be transparent about your relationship with Us.

  • Disclose any connection with Us prominently and close to your statement about Our products or services.

o   A ‘connection’ includes when We have given you a free product, provided you a free invite to a private event, funded your travel to or provided tickets for an event, paid you anything, covered your expenses etc.

  • The disclosure should be placed where viewers are not likely to miss it, such as at the beginning of a post or caption, or as a graphic overly on a video or image, so that it is visible without a viewer having to click on a link or ‘see more’ prompt.
  • In video content (including livestreaming), include your disclosure on the first snap/post and include the appropriate written disclosure and simultaneous voice over at the beginning and end of your video.
  • This information must be easy to see and understand and must be included in the body of your post, for example: “Thank you PlayStation for the free game”.  Include #ad at the beginning or end of the social media post.  Also feel free to tag @PlayStation, unless we ask you not to.

o   Some platforms may offer or require that you use tools or settings that you can use to automatically identify your posts as paid ads or sponsored content.  If using this kind of feature, you should do so only in conjunction with these guidelines and other disclosure best practices.   Do not rely on platform tools or settings alone.

  • If you have an ongoing relationship with us, state that in the bio of your profile page in addition to including disclosures on your posts.

The following disclosures are not transparent:

-        Vague disclosures: #sp, #partner, #collab, #ambassador, ‘thank you PlayStation’

-        Hidden disclosures:

o   only in a bio/page description and not in each post;

o   buried at the end of a long post or among several hashtags; and/or

o   a click or more away from your statements about Us (i.e., where a user must click on a link or ‘see more’ prompt to find the disclosure).

Be specific: Stick to facts about Our products, events or services and talk specifically about what you experienced as a user. Do not make general claims.

Be yourself: Provide your honest opinion.

Remember: what you write is your responsibility.  Failure to abide by these Guidelines and the laws applicable to where you live and target your work will put you and your relationship with Us at risk. If you have any questions regarding these SIE Social Media Influencer Guidelines, please contact your SIE Point of Contact.

 

I, _________________________________ [PRINT NAME] acknowledge that I have received and read SIE’s Social Media Practitioner Guidelines and agree to comply with them.

 

________________________________

Signed

________________________________

Date

 

APPENDIX

The list of resources in this Appendix is provided for your convenience only and is not intended to be a complete list of resources rules applicable to Influencers.

The below websites are maintained by third parties and are not operated or controlled by Sony Interactive Entertainment. When visiting the websites listed below, any information submitted to that website is subject to the privacy policy and terms of use of that website’s operator and is not governed by Sony Interactive Entertainment’s privacy policy or terms of use.

The hyperlinks listed below are live as of the date listed at the top of this document.  Sony Interactive Entertainment is not responsible for the reliability or continued availability of the hyperlinks, or the materials found at those hyperlinks, and is not liable for their content or use.

NORTH AMERICA

United States

Federal Trade Commission - Disclosures 101 for Influencers: https://www.ftc.gov/influencers  [EN]

Federal Trade Commission: FTC Endorsement Guidelines: What People Are Asking (https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides)  [EN]

Canada

Competition Bureau - Influencer Marketing and the Competition Act: https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/04512.html  [EN], [FR]

Ad Standards - Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines: https://adstandards.ca/resources/library/influencer-marketing-disclosure-guidelines/ [EN], [FR]

 

SOUTH AMERICA

Peru

INDECOPI -  Guía de Publicidad para Influencers : https://www.indecopi.gob.pe/documents/20182/3979412/Publicidad+Digital.pdf/186e5bc2-42c6-9a30-1d5c-dff598e82358 (SP)

 

EUROPE

United Kingdom

Advertising Standards Authority – Influencer Marketing Key Advice Resources: https://www.asa.org.uk/influencers [EN]

Advertising Standards Authority – Influencers’ Guide to Making Clear That Ads Are Ads: https://www.asa.org.uk/resource/influencers-guide.html  [EN]

Belgium

De Jury voor Ethische Praktijken inzake Reclame (JEP) - Aanbevelingen inzake online influencers: https://www.jep.be/sites/default/files/rule_reccommendation/recommandations_du_conseil_de_la_publicite_influenceurs_en_ligne_fr.pdf  [FR]

France

Autorité de Régulation Professionnelle de la Publicité (ARPP) – Digital Advertising and Marketing Communications Code: https://www.arpp.org/nous-consulter/regles/regles-de-deontologie/digital-advertising-and-marketing-communications-code/  [EN], [FR]

Italy

Istituto dell'Autodisciplina Pubblicitaria - Social Network e Content Sharing: https://www.iap.it/social-network-e-content-sharing/ [IT]

The Netherlands

Stichting Reclame Code - Reclamecode Social Media & Influencer Marketing (RSM): https://www.reclamecode.nl/nrc/reclamecode-social-media-rsm/  [NL]

Sweden

Konsument verket - Marknadsföring i sociala medier och blogger: https://www.konsumentverket.se/for-foretag/marknadsforing/marknadsforing-i-sociala-medier-och-bloggar/ [SV]

 

OCEANIA

Australia

Ad Standards – Guidelines for Influencers: https://adstandards.com.au/blog/ad-standards-guidelines-influencers [EN]

New Zealand

Advertising Standards Authority – Guidance Note on Identification of Advertisements: https://www.asa.co.nz/codes/code-guidance-notes/guidance-note-identification-advertisements/

 

ASIA

Japan

The Word of Mouth Japan Marketing Association – WOMJ Guidelines: https://www.womj.jp/85019.html  (JA)