AREC Advertising Guidelines
- Advertising, including all forms of identification, representation, promotion and solicitation (signage, business cards, websites, television/radio advertising, and social media), disseminated in any manner and by any means of communication to the public for any purpose related to brokerage activities listed in A.C.A. §17-42-103(10) must be under the supervision of the Principal Broker or the Branch Office Designated Executive Broker.
- All Principal Brokers having licensees affiliated with their firms should develop and maintain an internal policy on advertising that complies with AREC advertising requirements.
- Principal Brokers are responsible for training all licensees affiliated with their firm to comply with Commission Regulation 10.5 and their firm’s internal advertising policy and should be able to demonstrate to the Commission that this training has been provided to and completed by all licensees affiliated with their firm.
- All advertising by licensees should include the firm’s contact information, by which the public can directly communicate with the firm’s Principal Broker or the Branch Office Designated Executive Broker. The firm’s contact information may be:
- the main phone number,
- the physical address for each of the firm’s office locations, or
- the firm’s main website address.
- The Principal Broker is responsible for determining the phone number to be considered the “main phone number” for each of the firm’s office locations. This information should be included in their firm’s internal advertising policy.
- Advertising may not include a licensee’s name and telephone number or other contact information unless the real estate firm name and contact information are also clearly included and displayed as required.
- All advertising must include the real estate firm name as it is recorded with the Commission.
- In all forms of visual advertising, the real estate firm name should be displayed in a manner that is conspicuous, discernible and easily identifiable by the public.
- In live or recorded television, video or radio advertising, the real estate firm name should be disclosed in a manner that is conspicuous, discernible and easily identifiable by the public.
- In all advertising, the name of the real estate firm should be displayed in equal to or greater prominence than any included name of a licensee, team or DBA. The name of the real estate firm should be in close proximity to the licensee’s name, team name or DBA.
- The name of the real estate firm may be embedded in a logo as long as the firm name is otherwise displayed as specified above.
- Team names, personal names and DBA names should not be displayed in such a manner that they can be construed as a real estate firm name.
- The real estate firm’s information should meet the following standards in all forms of print media, yard signs, billboards, business cards, automobile signage, promotional items, etc. The firm’s information should:
- be in a type of the same optical size or larger than any agent or team name in the advertisement;
- be as visible or more visible than any agent or team name in the advertisement;
- not be obstructed more than any other content in the advertisement; and
- contain the contact information as required above.
- The real estate firm’s information should meet the following standards in all forms of online advertising and promotion.
- In all social media advertising, the firm’s name and information should:
- be prominently displayed and in close proximity to the licensee’s or team’s information on the licensee’s or team’s profile or landing page; and
- be prominently displayed and accessible within ‘one click’ or ‘one tap’ of any character-delimited post, section or page posted by or in the licensee’s or team’s account.
- In all other online advertising and websites, the firm’s name and contact information should:
- appear on the home or landing page of the advertisement or website; and
- be prominently displayed and in close proximity to the licensee’s or team’s information.
- In all social media advertising, the firm’s name and information should:
- Licensees or teams may maintain websites that have been approved by the Principal Broker or Branch Office Designated Executive Broker. Every viewable page of licensee or team websites should include the information specified above.
- When a licensee is advertising their own property for sale or rent outside of a broker and in accordance with Regulation 10.11, the licensee must include in the advertisement that the owner is a licensed agent.
- The following deadlines are strongly recommended for establishing compliance with the above guidelines:
- December 31, 2020 - all advertising and promotion utilizing signs, billboards, print media, business cards, etc.
- December 31, 2019 - all live or recorded television, video or radio advertising and online advertising and promotion.
- December 31, 2019 – all other forms of advertising
- December 31, 2019 – development of and training licensees on Principal Broker’s internal firm policy and all other advertising.
