Advertising Guidelines.indd - NSW Strategic Communications

NSW GovernmentAdvertising GuidelinesThe NSW Government Advertising Guidelineshas been prepared by theDepartment of Premier and Cabinetfor NSW Government.This document shall be updated on anongoing basis. To ensure accurate andup to date information, Departmentsare advised to access the latest versiondirectly from the Strategic Communications& Government Advertising website:www.advertising.nsw.gov.auAugust 2011NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 1

TABLE OF CONTENTSPurpose and Objectives ................................................................................. 3Application .................................................................................................... 3General Principles ......................................................................................... 3Appropriate use of NSW Government advertising ....................................... 4Inappropriate use of publicly funded advertising ......................................... 4Roles and Responsibilities ............................................................................. 4Government Departments ......................................................................... 4Director General and Chief Executives ....................................................... 5Ministers .................................................................................................. 5Department of Premier and Cabinet ........................................................... 5Advertising Categories and Definitions ............................................................ 6Recruitment Advertising ............................................................................ 6Public Notices .......................................................................................... 6Public Awareness Advertising .................................................................... 6Use of NSW Government Logo and Authorisation of Advertisements ............... 6NSW Government Logo ............................................................................ 6Television ................................................................................................. 6Radio ....................................................................................................... 7Quarantine Period Prior to State Elections ...................................................... 7Communicating with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Audiences ................ 7Captioning of Advertising and Public Information Videos ................................. 7Media Placement and Booking ....................................................................... 7Review and Approval of Advertising ................................................................ 8Advertising Peer Reviews .......................................................................... 8Creative Advertising Agency Engagement ....................................................... 8Recruitment Advertising Services ................................................................... 9Related Government Recruitment Procedures and Policies ........................ 9Important Public Information Notices .............................................................. 9NSW Government Noticeboard ................................................................. 9Government Tenders ................................................................................ 9Evaluation and Reporting of Advertising .......................................................... 9Monitoring and Exemptions to Advertising Policy ............................................ 10Contact Details for Further Information ........................................................... 10Related Advertising Documents ..................................................................... 10AppendixSocial Media Model Guidelines .................................................................. 11Department of Premier and CabinetLevel 11, Bligh House4-6 Bligh StreetSydney NSW 2000www.advertising.nsw.gov.au

Purpose and ObjectivesThe NSW Government aims to ensure thatcommunications across all agencies are wellcoordinated, effectively managed and responsiveto the diverse information needs of the public. Theprinciples and procedures to be followed by NSWGovernment agencies when planning and implementingall advertising activities are outlined within.This document seeks to provide clear explanation ofthe frameworks in place and services provided to assistagencies achieve maximum effectiveness and value formoney through their activities.These Guidelines incorporate all current advertisingpolicies and requirements as previously issued throughPremier’s Department Circulars and Memoranda.ApplicationGovernment advertising policies apply to allDepartments, Statutory Bodies, Declared Authoritiesand Public Trading Enterprises as well as Sydney WaterCorporation. Other State Owned Corporations are notsubject to the requirements but may make use of theNSW Government media booking contracts and otheradvertising and communications services provided byDepartment of Premier and Cabinet to achieve value formoney outcomes.General PrinciplesThese Guidelines operate from the understanding thatadvertising can play an important role in efficiently andeffectively achieving public policy goals in New SouthWales.The NSW Government has an obligation to informall people in NSW about their rights, obligations andentitlements. The government may legitimately usepublic funds to inform the public of these rights andobligations, as well as explain government policies,programs, services and initiatives.The following standards and principles should alsobe observed by all NSW Government agencies whenplanning, developing and managing advertisingactivities:• Compliance with all relevant state and federalprivacy, electoral, broadcasting and media lawsthroughout every stage of the development,production and dissemination of the advertising;• Accuracy in the presentation of all facts, statistics,comparisons and other arguments. All statementsand claims included in advertisements must be ableto be substantiated;• Advertising is to be presented in an objective, fairand accessible manner;• A reasonable person should not interpret themessage as serving party political interests. NSWGovernment advertisements are to be clearlydistinguishable from party political messages andinclude authorisation tags in accordance with theBroadcast Services Act 1992;• Sensitivity to cultural needs and issues whencommunicating with people from diverse ethnic orreligious backgrounds;• The maintenance of the highest standards ofdecency and good taste in the portrayal of genderand sexuality;• Awareness of the communication requirements forpeople with a disability;• Compliance with all relevant NSW Governmentprocurement policies;• Communications are produced and disseminatedby the most appropriate and environmentallyresponsible means taking into consideration the sizeand location of the target audience; and• The audience should have a convenient meansof contacting the originating NSW GovernmentDepartment so that complaints, questions,comments or requests for further information maybe dealt with promptly.The NSW Government is responsible for ensuringequity, probity, appropriateness and accountability inall activities that may form part of its communicationstrategies.NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 3

Appropriate use of NSW GovernmentadvertisingThe NSW Government has demonstrated, with therelease of the State Plan (www.stateplan.nsw.gov.au),its commitment to being accountable in all activities, toresponding to community needs and expectations anddelivering improved social, economic and environmentaloutcomes for the people of NSW.Any advertising activities must demonstrate acontribution to these over-arching NSW Governmentpriorities and targets. Advertising may be used toachieve the following objectives:• Encouraging changed behaviours or attitudes thatwill lead to improved public health and safety orquality or life;• Maximising compliance with laws and regulations;• Encouraging use of government products andservices that will generate revenue and/or aneconomic benefit for the State;• Encouraging public involvement in governmentdecision making;• Raising awareness of a planned or impendinginitiative and reporting on performance in relation toNSW Government undertakings;• Assisting in the preservation of order in the event ofa crisis or emergency; and• Recruiting staff, disseminating important statutoryinformation and promoting business opportunitieswith the NSW Government.Inappropriate use of publicly fundedadvertisingAgencies must not misuse public funds. The followingare inappropriate for government advertising:• The method or medium of advertising is excessiveor extravagant in relation to the objective beingpursued;• The message could be reasonably understood asbeing on behalf of a political party;• The Government is linked to the Premier’s name(e.g. the Smith Government);• References are made to political party websites,publications or other materials;• A political party or other grouping is beingdisparaged or held up to ridicule; and• Members of NSW Government are named,depicted or otherwise promoted in a manner thata reasonable person would regard as excessive orgratuitous.Roles and ResponsibilitiesGovernment DepartmentsGovernment agencies are accountable for thedevelopment and implementation of advertisingactivity relating to their responsibilities. Agenciesshould, as appropriate, consult and work with relevantstakeholders including other NSW Governmentagencies in planning and carrying out their advertisingactivities.Agencies are required to:• Demonstrate the specific need being addressedby the proposed advertising activity and explainthe rationale for the chosen approach. Advertisingwith a total budget of $1 million or more requires acost benefit analysis or other appropriate economicappraisal for the chosen strategy, taking intoaccount other potential media choices and availablealternative approaches;• Allow reasonable and realistic timeframes toundertake advertising, with consideration of requiredapprovals, media deadlines and cost efficiencies;• Ensure that the content of submissions forproposed advertising is accurate and providedin the appropriate formats as advised by theDepartment of Premier and Cabinet; and• Following the completion of their advertising,provide information required by Cabinet relating tocampaign expenditure and the results of researchinto the effectiveness of the campaign.• The party in NSW Government is mentioned byname;• Party political slogans or images are used in theadvertising;NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 4

Advertising Categories andDefinitionsAdvertising activities are undertaken for a wide anddiverse range of purposes. The advertising categoriesare defined below to assist government agencies intheir consideration of the available advertising servicesand relevant policies. The definitions used in thisdocument may be consistently applied against allStrategic Communications & Government Advertisingdocuments.Recruitment advertising:This refers to all advertising that promotes specific jobvacancies and employment opportunities (e.g. graduateintakes) within an agency.Public Notices:The advertisements contain a clear, simple message/announcement and are generally one-off or short-termin nature. Examples include:• Advertising that outlines business opportunitieswith government including Expressions of Interest,Requests for Tender, Requests for Quote etc;• Public transport timetable notices, road closures;• Announcement of permanent or temporary changesto government services;• Availability of government funds, grants and awardsprograms;• Details about community consultations, publichearings, investigations, seminars, workshops andother government events;• Statutory/regulatory notices: Some agencies arerequired by a legislation or regulation to publiclydisclose certain information about their activitiese.g. legislative changes, environmental assessmentor development notices. The information to beincluded in the advertisements as well as thepublications to be used may also be determined bythe relevant legislation or regulation; and• Urgent public health or safety announcements(e.g. non statutory notices for emergencies).Public Awareness AdvertisingAs appropriate, agencies may determine a need toundertake a series of coordinated communications toraise awareness of key issues or encourage behaviourchange and participation.Key areas for government advertising activities include:• Safety and public health;• Environment, water and energy;• Promotion of government services and productsand NSW business and tourism;• Awareness of government initiatives andprograms; and• Supporting sponsorship and events promotions.In some cases advertising may be partly funded byindustry / event partners. The advertising may beplaced in one type of media or a combination of mediaand will commonly require strategic planning and thedevelopment of both media and creative strategies toeffectively achieve set objectives. Advertising itself willoften be only one part of a broader communicationsand marketing plan.Use of NSW Government logo andAuthorisation of AdvertisementsAdvertisements produced for and on behalf of the NSWGovernment should be clearly identifiable as originatingfrom the NSW Government and include consistentbranding and authorisation.NSW Government LogoAll NSW Government communications, includingadvertising, will feature the NSW Government logo, asprovided for in the NSW Government Style Guide.TelevisionAll television advertisements produced by governmentagencies are to conclude with a full screen graphicdisplaying only the following (white text on a blackbackground):Authorised by the New South Wales Government,Sydney. Spoken by….The names of all people who speak in the advertisementare to be written. If the person reading the authorisationtag has not spoken previously in the advertisement,they do not need to be identified.“Authorised by the New South Wales Government,Sydney” is to be a spoken announcement. It must notcommence until the black screen appears and may notbe accompanied by any sound effects or music.No other words, graphic elements, crests or logos areto be included on this final screen.NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 6

RadioRadio advertisements are to conclude with spokenauthorisation statement:“Authorised by the New South Wales Government,Sydney”No sound effects or music may accompany thevoiceover.Quarantine Period Prior toState ElectionsAgencies should cease all major advertising activitiesfor a period of two months prior to a state election. Theonly advertising to be exempt during the quarantineperiod will be advertising that relates to communityhealth and safety issues, appropriate public informationand services having clear commercial considerations(for example transport providers and tourismpromotion).Communicating with Culturally andLinguistically Diverse AudiencesNSW Government communication materials are todepict the diverse nature of NSW society in a fair,representative and inclusive manner and be consistentwith the Principles of Multiculturalism. Agencies areresponsible for ensuring that all people in the NSWcommunity have access to the relevant informationabout its services, programs and opportunities.When planning advertising or other communications,agencies should be sensitive to the cultural andlinguistic differences of people within their targetaudiences. Specifically, agencies must comply with therequirements of Premier’s Memoranda 98-06 and 98-17.All significant public information and awarenessadvertising strategies are to include evidence thatexplicit consideration has been given to people fromCulturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds(CALDB).The nature and needs of the audience should determineboth the proportion of budget and the communicationstrategies to be used to reach various segments of theaudience. Agencies should also carefully consider thecontent and images as well as the media selected toensure the advertising is as effective as possible.The Premier’s Memoranda referred to above requiresthat:• 7.5% of press expenditure is to be placed in ethnicnewspapers; and• 3% of total electronic media expenditure in ethnicelectronic media.In addition to that requirement being met, the followingapproximate allocations should be used as a guidewhere the Total Media Budget is > $500,000:• 10% of press expenditure is to be placed incommunity language (ethnic and indigenous)newspapers; and• 5% of total electronic media expenditure incommunity language (ethnic and indigenous)electronic media.Captioning of Advertising and PublicInformation VideosNSW Government agencies are required to providecaptioning (‘open’ or ‘closed’ sub-titling) on all NSWGovernment advertising and public information videos.Captioning allows those members of the communitywith hearing impairments to access Governmentinformation with a level of independence equal to that ofother members of the community.Closed captioning requires a teletext decoder to viewthe subtitles. Open captions are not hidden from thenormal picture and cannot be turned off. Considerationshould be given to applying open captioning wherepossible.Media Placement and BookingSCGA coordinates the booking and placement of alladvertising for the NSW Government. In order to derivemaximum discounts, the NSW Government utilises itsaggregated media spend to negotiate with the mediasuppliers. Government agencies therefore benefit fromsignificantly discounted media rates and other offersincluding special placement arrangements.SCGA manages two media agency contracts on behalfof the NSW Government:• The Media Placement and Typesetting Contractcovers the typesetting and placement ofgovernment public information notices andrecruitment advertising in suburban, regional,NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 7

ural and community language press. The currentcontractor is AdCorp.• The Master Media Agency Contract covers mediabookings for all other advertising activities. TheMaster Media Agency contractor may also beengaged by Agencies to provide strategic andgeneral media planning services for their advertisingactivities as required. The current contractor isMediacom.Review and Approval of AdvertisingAll NSW Government advertising other than publicnotices, with a total budget (includes productioncosts, media, research and evaluation) of $50,000 ormore are subject to Cabinet Standing Committee onCommunication and Government Advertising approval.In the following limited circumstances, advertising maybe approved ‘out of session’ by the Premier:• Advertising with low production and media costs.• Advertising required on a regular or ongoing basis.• Repeat advertising that has been proven to beeffective through quantitative results and/or postcampaignresearch.It should be noted that the Cabinet Standing Committeeon Communication and Government Advertisingretains oversight responsibility for all advertising. All‘out of session’ approvals are to be submitted to theCabinet Standing Committee on Communicationand Government Advertising for noting, and furtherexamination, as required. An independent ‘Peer Review’of advertising is conducted at ‘concept stage’ priorto the advertising being submitted for approval to theCabinet Standing Committee on Communication andGovernment Advertising.Advertising Peer ReviewsThe Advertising Peer Review process is managedby Strategic Communication and GovernmentAdvertising within Department of Premier and Cabinet.The purpose of the peer review system is to provideinformed and objective feedback on the need andcost effectiveness of the proposed advertising. PeerReviews are conducted by experienced advertisingand communications practitioners drawn from acrossthe NSW public sector who provide knowledgeableand fresh-minded consideration of the proposedadvertising. Peer reviews of advertising campaigns forwhole of government initiatives shall include a reviewerindependent of the public sector.Prior to peer review, agencies are required to preparean advertising submission which includes a soundexplanation of their chosen advertising strategy andnon-selection of other options and, where the budgetis $1 million or more, a cost benefit analysis of otherappropriate economic appraisal.Advertising submissions are examined by reviewersagainst criteria covering:• Need and timing of the advertising;• Chosen creative and media options; and• Allocation of the budget, evaluation and riskmanagementAt the conclusion of the review, Reviewers preparea brief review report for the government agencyproposing the advertising activities, for their informationand response. A summary of the report is incorporatedinto the advertising submission for the Cabinet StandingCommittee on Communication and GovernmentAdvertising’s approval.Under some circumstances, the Director, StrategicCommunications & Government Advertising maydetermine that projects that use existing creativework, have been recently Peer Reviewed and areevaluated and shown to be effective may not requireadditional Peer Review prior to proceeding to theCabinet Standing Committee on Communications andGovernment Advertising for approval considerationThe SCGA website has more information on theAdvertising Peer Review process.Creative Advertising Agency EngagementSCGA manages an Accreditation Scheme forCreative Advertising Agencies on behalf of the NSWGovernment. The scheme provides NSW Governmentagencies with access to leading creative agenciesin Australia through a streamlined process forappointment.To select a Creative Agency, agencies should seekcosted proposals from at least three creative advertisingagencies on the panel for campaigns in excess of$150,000. If total campaign cost is less than $150,000agencies may choose whether to directly engage thecreative advertising agency of their choice or conduct acompetitive pitch process.For information on current Accredited Creative Agenciessee the SCGA website.NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 8

Recruitment Advertising ServicesNSW Government recruitment is coordinated thoughwww.jobs.nsw.gov.au, the government’s recruitmentwebsite which enables job seekers to easily viewvacancies across the public sector. Agencies shouldconsider carefully what external advertising, if any, maybe needed to reach the suitable pool of applicants forthe vacant position.Advertising of vacancies on other job boards eg. Seek,MyCareer and CareerOne is arranged through the jobs.nsw system.All other recruitment advertising is booked throughSCGA. Where required, the SCGA advertising teamcan source information and provide advice on statewide, regional and suburban press, specialist industryadvertising options and other media to assist withmedia selection and advertising planning. To book arecruitment advertisement, agencies should refer to theSCGA website for more information.Related Government Recruitment Proceduresand PoliciesAgencies should be aware of all current Department ofPremier and Cabinet (DPC) directives in relation to NSWGovernment recruitment practices and processes aspublished on their website (www.dpc.nsw.gov.au).Important Public Information NoticesSome statutes require agencies to place advertisementson certain matters and prescribe the information to beincluded in the notice, however in many cases publicinformation advertising is undertaken at the discretion ofthe agency.All agencies should routinely review their advertisingpractices to ensure there is an explicit need for theadvertising, that it contributes to the objectivesof government advertising outlined in the GeneralPrinciples and the advertising is as cost effective aspossible.SCGA can provide advice and information on costsas required for metropolitan, local, regional, interstate,ethnic press, online and radio as appropriate toeffectively reach the target audience for the advertising.For information on booking public informationadvertising, refer to the SCGA website.NSW Government NoticeboardTo provide the community with a reliable and convenientsource of government information, statutory, regulatoryand important public information notices (relevant forMetropolitan publication) from government agenciesappear within the NSW Government Noticeboard.The Noticeboard is a composite format displayadvertisement, published on a weekly basis(Wednesday) in the Sydney Morning Herald and DailyTelegraph. All advertisements placed by agencieswill appear in both newspapers. Advertisementsare displayed consistently, allowing cost effectiveplacement and assisting readability for the audience.Agency logos/brands may be included in the notices.Where possible, consideration should be given toincluding only the essential information and contactdetails for further information in each advertisement.Government TendersAll tender advertisements for the Metropolitan areaare consolidated together within a NSW GovernmentTenders composite advertisement, appearing inthe Sydney Morning Herald each Monday. Whereappropriate, a request may be made to place a tenderin local, regional, or relevant industry publications.All tender advertisements should be concise, provideonly essential information about the businessopportunity and refer interested parties to the relevantcontact / website for further information. In the majorityof cases, information should be limited to:• Tender title and brief description;• Tender number / reference;• Enquiry contact details;• Tender website address; and the• Closing date.Agency logos or brands will not be included in the NSWGovernment Tenders composite advert.Evaluation and Reporting ofAdvertisingAs part of developing an advertising strategy, agenciesshould determine and document how they intendto measure the success of the advertising activities.There are no specific requirements in relation toevaluation methodology, use of research providersNSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 9

or budget allocation. Agencies should, however,conduct evaluation (as appropriate) that is relevant,cost-effective and meaningful in order to measurethe success of their advertising against its statedobjectives.SCGA publishes quarterly on their website advertisingmedia expenditure by government agencies. The SCGAwebsite also carries information about completedgovernment advertising projects. Agencies are alsoencouraged to publish information about their ownadvertising programs on their websites. Informationmay include advertising rationale, objectives, costs andoutcomes.Monitoring and Exemptions toAdvertising PolicySCGA is responsible for monitoring the implementationof advertising in accordance with the NSW GovernmentAdvertising Guidelines. Agencies, however, may alsowish to consider including an audit of their advertisingfor compliance with the guidelines in their internal auditprograms.Agencies will not be granted general exemptionsto policy requirements outlined in this document.Exemption requests must demonstrate benefits interms of community access to information, agencycommercial imperatives, effective delivery of themessage and value for money.Contact Details for FurtherInformationAdvertising enquiries:Strategic Communications & Government AdvertisingDepartment of Premier and CabinetLevel 11, Bligh House4-6 Bligh StreetSydney NSW 2000Email: adreviews@dpc.nsw.gov.auWeb: www.advertising.nsw.gov.auGeneral Policy enquiries:Isobel Scouler – A/General ManagerEmail: isobel.scouler@dpc.nsw.gov.auPhone: (02) 9228 3480 or 0434 076 806Related Advertising DocumentsWhen planning and undertaking NSW Governmentadvertising activities, refer to the SCGA website viawww.advertising.nsw.gov.au for additionaldocumentation.Exemptions to some policy requirements includingadvertising during the quarantine period andauthorisation of advertisements would also requireapproval consideration by the Cabinet StandingCommittee on Communication and GovernmentAdvertising.The Director General or Chief Executive of an agency orappointed delegate may make a request forcase-specific exemptions in writing to:Strategic Communications & Government AdvertisingDepartment of Premier and CabinetLevel 11, Bligh House4-6 Bligh StreetSydney NSW 2000Email: adreviews@dpc.nsw.gov.auFax: (02) 9372 7422NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 10

APPENDIXSocial Media ModelGuidelinesThe NSW Government encourages the use of socialmedia technologies to enhance communication,collaboration, and information exchange in support ofNSW Government objectives.By openly sharing knowledge, best practices, andlessons learned, we can provide more effectivesolutions and efficiencies to enhance excellence in thebusiness of government.The use of social media technology follows the samestandards of professional practice and conductassociated with all communication activities in thepublic sector. Common sense and sound judgment arevital in avoiding contentious issues.Governance for social media activityAll proposals for social media activity by an agencyshould be presented in an appropriate brief for approvalby the agency’s relevant senior executive e.g. DirectorCommunications, Director General or Chief ExecutiveOfficer.The brief should highlight who will be responsible. Forinstance, responsibility for the policies and proceduresfor use of the social media channels and tools rests withthe agency’s Communications Manager; responsibilityfor implementation and evaluation of the use of thesocial media channels rests with the campaign/activitymanager.Terms and conditions of use must be establishedto ensure users of/contributors to the social mediacampaign are aware of their responsibilities not topublish offensive/unlawful/libellous content etc.Proposals should be reviewed against any existinginformation security policies, communication/social media policies and/or guidelines used by theDepartment or agency.Use of Social MediaAll use of social media technology undertaken by NSWGovernment agencies should form part of a broadercommunications strategy in line with the agreedobjectives of the department or agency. All proposalsfor social media activity would need to clearly outline:• The specific strategic objectives of the plannedactivity e.g. rationale for using the specific socialmedia tool• The planned timings, including commencement andend dates• Detailed proposals, with costings/requiredresources for the ongoing management of theactivity• Detailed plans for the regular updating of contentand ongoing moderation of comments andfeedback• The implementation approach, including testing,information security risk assessment and pilot ortrial activities.ImplementationIn addition to the information detailed above, a proposalfor commencing a programme of social media activityshould in line with an agency’s standard communicationprocedures detailing the execution of the proposal.Factors to incorporate could include:• A protocol for the approval of responses. Thisshould include reference to contentious issuesmanagement procedures within the agency such asexisting media relations procedures or policies.• Examples of information that will be pro-activelyreleased (i.e. list of comments, announcements,campaigns)• Promotion of the activity by notifyingwww.nsw.gov.au both at initiation anddecommissioning• A plan to manage issues relating to meeting therequirements of the New South Wales Privacy andPersonal Information Protection Act 1998;• A plan for the management of intellectual propertyrights, specifically in relation to user-generatedcontent.NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 11

Moderation of online discussions or feedbackA moderation process should be in place for anyonline discussion to ensure it is relevant, appropriateand lawful. Each agency should establish appropriateresources to manage online feedback/discussion.As a guide, editing of contributions may occur if thecontribution:• is defamatory, abusive, harassing or hateful;• includes any abusive, obscene, indecent oroffensive language;• violates copyright or other forms of licences andconsents;• encourages conduct that may or would constitutea criminal offence or give rise to civil liability, orthat otherwise violates any local, state, national orinternational law• contravenes the information security policies,communication/social media policies and/orguidelines in use by the Department/agency• discusses and or names specific personal orcasework related information.Legal considerations when using socialmedia applicationsAny NSW Government representative who is usingsocial media for professional or official use should beaware of the legal implications of participating in socialmedia. Legal implications include, but are not limited to:• privacy and ensuring compliance with the NSWPrivacy and Personal Information Protection Act1998;• accessibility of content to the widest possibleaudience including participants using assistivetechnology;• records management in accordance with the NSWState Records Act 1998 and policies under that Act;• conditions of use policies;• intellectual property rights in user-generatedcontent; and• defamation or other causes of action that relate toadverse comment concerning a third party by anon Government user.Managing privacyUsers of any NSW Government site are entitled toexpect that any information disclosed will be treatedwithin the terms of the NSW Government’s privacyresponsibilities and obligations. The NSW Government’sprivacy practices are regulated by the NSW South WalesPrivacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.Details of the generic NSW Government PrivacyStatement appearing on many NSW governmentagency websites can be found athttp://www.nsw.gov.au/privacy-statement.These general standard operating procedures shouldalso be followed to ensure the privacy rights of staff andindividuals who become friends, fans or followers ofGovernment agencies.It is important to consider the rules of engagement inregards to how the social media activity will operateand any impacts this may have on privacy. For example,when is it appropriate to ‘follow’ or ‘friend’ a userprofile?Government representatives who set up social mediaaccounts should consider the most appropriate contactinformation to provide for the social media contactarrangements. This could be a general office emailaccount, agency or office name and general officenumber.Managing accessibilitySocial media applications need to ensure content isavailable to the widest possible audience, includingreaders using assistive technology or accessibilityfeatures. NSW Government agencies should becognisant of accessible web design, acknowledgingdiversity of communication methods, availabletechnologies and abilities of web-users in thecommunity.Accessibility risks can be mitigated by following thestandard operating procedures outlined below:Video captions and transcriptions: Embed captionswithin videos as part of the post-production process.Provide transcripts of videos and attempt to includethese on the social networking site. Maintain W3C’sWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines compliant videos,captions and transcripts on the agency’s website andattempt to link back to the agency website from a socialnetworking site.Photo – alternative descriptions: Name the photoafter the description before uploading it to a socialmedia website. Write text captions and descriptionswhere these fields are available.NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 12

PDFs: Ensure documents are compliant in sourceformat before converting to PDF. Use formatting suchas header when applicable. Embed hyperlinks within theanchor text rather than supplying the physical URL tothe right of anchor text.EvaluationAll social media activity should be evaluated to assessthe impact and benefits of the activity. The evaluationshould include an assessment of the effectiveness ofpromotional techniques, the numbers of participantsand the quality of responses received, plus anyfeedback from participants that demonstrates whetherthe activity was successful in meeting the strategicobjectives.DecommissioningWhen decommissioning any social media applicationsconsideration should be given to:• reviewing which threads or comments should orshouldn’t and can or can’t be deleted• managing the content and links to any otherwebsites;• addressing any licences or contracts associatedwith the site;• migrating any necessary content to other channels;• ensuring that all users are advised of the closure ofthe channel or application;• complying with records management policies andprocesses;• undertaking account closure processes.This document was prepared by StrategicCommunications & Government Advertising, a branch ofthe Department of Premier and Cabinet.A paper copy of this document is ‘uncontrolled’.For the most up-to-date version visitwww.advertising.nsw.gov.auThis version: V2.3 August 2011Prior to this version: V2.2 December 2010V2.1 October 2010V2.0 May 2010V1.3 December 2009V1.2 August 2008NSW Government Advertising Guidelines (August 2011) Page 13