Advertising and sponsorship policy

Updated 5 October 2026. Gorland may carry clearly identified advertising that is compatible with an informational publication about exercise and health context. This policy describes the standards a commercial placement must meet before it is accepted and how it is kept visibly separate from independent editorial writing. It is a companion to the editorial policy on editorial.php, which sets out the broader principle of editorial independence, and to the terms of use, which note that a commercial relationship does not create a promise of coverage. Gorland reviews this policy alongside its other governing documents and updates the date above whenever a material change is made to how commercial material is handled. A reader who wants to understand how a specific labelled placement on the site was reviewed can use this page as the reference point for that process. This policy applies to every form of paid visibility on the site, including a banner placement, a labelled sponsored feature, and an affiliate link, and it applies equally regardless of whether the advertiser is a business based in Indonesia or an international company reaching Indonesian readers. Gorland does not currently operate a self-serve advertising platform where a placement is approved automatically without human review; every placement, however small, passes through the review described in Section 5 before it goes live. The policy is written to be read by both a prospective advertiser and a reader who wants to understand what a label on the site actually signifies, and the language is kept the same for both audiences rather than using a separate, more permissive internal standard not reflected here.

1. Labelling

Paid placements, sponsored features, and affiliate relationships are labelled in plain language near the relevant material. The label itself uses ordinary words such as "sponsored" or "advertisement" rather than a vague or stylised term that a reader might not immediately recognise as a commercial disclosure. Labelling is placed near the top of the relevant section, before a reader engages with the commercial content itself, rather than only in a footnote that is easy to miss. An affiliate relationship, where Gorland may receive a referral benefit from a link to an external product or service, is disclosed in the same plain-language style even where the linked content is otherwise presented as a resource reference. This labelling standard is applied consistently across desktop and mobile layouts so that the disclosure is not lost when the page is viewed on a smaller screen. The label is styled with enough visual contrast against its surrounding text that it does not blend into body copy, consistent with the general contrast approach described on accessibility.php, since a disclosure that is technically present but difficult to notice would not meet the intent of this section. Where a single article contains more than one sponsored element, each one carries its own label rather than relying on a single disclosure at the very top of the page to cover the whole article. Gorland does not use a generic site-wide disclaimer, such as a single line in the footer, as a substitute for labelling an individual placement at the point where a reader actually encounters it.

(a) Label wording: plain terms such as "sponsored" or "advertisement", not vague alternatives.
(b) Label placement: near the top of the relevant section, before the commercial content.
(c) Affiliate links: disclosed with the same plain-language standard as paid placements.
(d) Visual contrast: the label stands out from surrounding body copy rather than blending in.
(e) Multiple placements: each sponsored element on a page is labelled individually.

2. Editorial separation

Commercial partners cannot approve independent articles, remove criticism, or require a particular conclusion. A prospective sponsor is told this separation applies before any commercial agreement is finalised, so there is no later ambiguity about what the relationship does and does not include. Where an independent article happens to discuss a category of product or service connected to a current sponsor, that article is written and edited without input from the sponsor, consistent with the independence principle described in Section 3 of editorial.php. Gorland does not offer a sponsor the ability to review or request changes to an unrelated article as part of a commercial arrangement, and no such request would be accommodated if one were made. This separation is treated as a condition of working with Gorland at all, not a courtesy extended only when it is commercially convenient to do so. A sponsor is permitted to review the wording of their own labelled sponsored feature before it is published, since that content is commercial by nature, but that review right does not extend to any independent article published alongside it, even one on a closely related topic. Where a sponsor requests a change that would blur the labelling standard described in Section 1, such as asking for the "sponsored" label to be made smaller or less visible, that request is declined regardless of the commercial value of the relationship. Gorland's editorial contributors are not informed of which categories of advertiser are currently active on the site specifically so that their independent writing is not consciously or unconsciously shaped by that commercial context.

(a) Sponsor cannot: approve, edit, or veto an independent article.
(b) Applies even when: the independent article discusses a topic related to the sponsor's category.
(c) Communicated to sponsors: before any commercial agreement is finalised.
(d) Sponsor review limit: their own labelled feature only, never an adjacent independent article.
(e) Labelling requests declined: any request to reduce the visibility of the "sponsored" label.

3. Health claims

We do not accept claims that promise cures, guaranteed performance, or a fixed result from a product. A prospective advertiser is asked to provide supporting material for any factual claim before a placement is approved, and a claim that cannot be supported with a credible basis is declined or required to be rephrased in more measured terms. This standard applies regardless of the format of the placement, whether it is a short labelled banner or a longer sponsored feature, since the underlying concern, misleading a reader about what a product can do, does not depend on the length of the material. Gorland also declines advertising categories that would be inconsistent with an informational publication about physical activity and health context, such as unverified supplement claims framed as guaranteed medical outcomes. Where an accepted placement is later found to contain a claim that should not have passed review, it is removed or corrected promptly rather than left to run for the remainder of its scheduled term. The supporting material requested from an advertiser typically takes the form of a citation to published research or regulatory documentation relevant to the claim, and a claim supported only by an advertiser's own internal marketing material without independent backing is treated as unverified for the purposes of this review. Gorland applies the same measured-language standard described in disclaimer.php Section 2 to advertising copy, meaning an advertiser is asked to avoid absolute language such as describing a result as certain or typical for every user. This review is documented internally for each accepted placement so that, if a concern is raised later, Gorland can show what basis was reviewed at the time of approval.

(a) Review requirement: supporting material requested for any factual claim before approval.
(b) Applies to: short banners and longer sponsored features alike.
(c) Post-approval issue: prompt removal or correction, not left to run to the end of its term.
(d) Acceptable basis: published research or regulatory documentation, not marketing material alone.
(e) Internal documentation: the basis for each approval is recorded for later reference.

4. Reader clarity

Advertisements should be distinguishable from navigation and editorial content on desktop and mobile displays. This means a commercial placement uses visual treatment, such as its label and surrounding spacing, that keeps it recognisably different from the site's main navigation menu and from an independent article's body text. On a mobile display, where space is more limited, the same labelling standard from Section 1 still applies in full rather than being simplified or removed to save room. Gorland reviews new placement formats specifically for this kind of clarity before they are used broadly across the site, rather than relying on a single desktop check to stand in for how the format will appear on a smaller screen. A reader who finds a specific placement confusing on their device is encouraged to report it through the complaints process in Section 6 so the format can be reassessed. A placement is never styled to visually mimic the site's own navigation menu or a button used elsewhere for editorial purposes, since that kind of visual similarity is the specific pattern this clarity standard is meant to prevent. Where a placement includes a call-to-action style button of its own, that button is styled distinctly enough from the site's standard interface buttons that a reader can tell at a glance it leads to an external commercial destination rather than to another page within Gorland. This clarity standard is treated as equally important to the labelling requirement in Section 1, since a technically present label paired with a confusing visual layout would still leave a reader uncertain about what they are looking at.

(a) Visual distinction: separate styling from navigation and from independent article text.
(b) Mobile display: full labelling standard retained, not simplified away.
(c) New formats: reviewed for clarity on both desktop and mobile before wider use.
(d) No mimicry: a placement is never styled to resemble the site's own navigation or interface buttons.
(e) External indication: a placement's own call-to-action button is visually distinct from standard site buttons.

5. Review

Commercial material is reviewed for suitability, accuracy of presentation, and consistency with applicable advertising expectations in Indonesia. Suitability review considers whether the category of product or service is appropriate for an informational publication read by an adult audience interested in physical activity and general health context. Accuracy review checks that a claim made in the placement is presented in a way that is not misleading about what the advertised product or service actually does, consistent with the health-claims standard described in Section 3. Consistency with applicable Indonesian advertising expectations includes avoiding a presentation that would be considered deceptive under general consumer protection principles, such as an exaggerated before-and-after style comparison without a reasonable basis. This review takes place before a placement goes live and is revisited periodically for any placement running on the site for an extended period. The suitability check also excludes categories that would be inappropriate for the site's general-audience context, such as restricted goods or services, regardless of how the specific wording of an individual advertisement is phrased. A placement running for more than a few months is scheduled for a routine re-check even without a specific complaint, since a product's formulation, claims, or regulatory status can change after the original approval was given. Where Gorland's review identifies a borderline case that does not clearly pass or fail the suitability or accuracy standard, the placement is declined by default rather than approved pending further discussion, consistent with a cautious approach to an informational, health-adjacent publication.

(a) Suitability: category appropriate for an adult informational audience.
(b) Accuracy: presentation consistent with what the product or service actually does.
(c) Periodic revisit: long-running placements reviewed again, not approved only once.
(d) Excluded categories: restricted goods or services, regardless of individual wording.
(e) Borderline cases: declined by default rather than approved pending further discussion.

6. Complaints

Readers may report a misleading placement through contact.php. The desk will review the message and preserve relevant records for up to 24 months. Gorland aims to acknowledge an advertising complaint within 5 business days and to provide a substantive response, which may include removing or revising the placement, within 30 calendar days, consistent with the response targets described in the site's other policies. A complaint that leads to a placement being revised or removed is noted internally so that the same advertiser's future submissions can be reviewed with that history in mind. Preserving relevant records for up to 24 months allows Gorland to track a pattern across multiple complaints about the same advertiser or placement type, rather than treating each report in isolation. Readers are welcome to include a screenshot or a description of where the placement appeared, which helps the desk locate and assess it more quickly. Where a complaint concerns a placement that has already finished its scheduled run, Gorland still reviews the underlying concern and applies any resulting finding to future submissions from the same advertiser, even though there is no longer a live placement to remove. A reader who remains unsatisfied with the outcome of a complaint may also raise the matter with Indonesia's general consumer protection authority, in the same way the privacy policy describes for a data-related complaint, since advertising standards and consumer protection are closely related areas of practice. Gorland does not charge a fee to review or act on an advertising complaint, and raising one does not affect a reader's ability to continue using the site in any way.

(a) Acknowledgement: within 5 business days.
(b) Substantive response: within 30 calendar days, which may include removal or revision.
(c) Record retention: up to 24 months, to track patterns across repeated complaints.
(d) Expired placements: the underlying concern is still reviewed and applied to future submissions.
(e) External escalation: Indonesia's consumer protection authority, for an unresolved complaint.