The front cover and spine are editorial space. Companies and products should appear on covers only in an editorial context and not in a way that suggests advertisement. (This includes use of cover stickers.)—ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers, 13th Edition

The ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers codify long-standing industry practices governing the relationship between editorial content and advertising messages. The 13th edition was approved by the Board of Directors of ASME in 2005 and adopted by the Magazine Publishers of America in the same year. ASME is now conducting a comprehensive review of the guidelines to ensure that they reflect contemporary industry standards; the 14th edition is scheduled for publication in October 2009.

In response to recent questions about so-called cover ads, ASME wants to reaffirm its position on the magazine cover as stated in the current guidelines. The cover is not only the first and most important editorial page in any magazine but a brand statement. Long a showcase for photography, illustration and typography, the magazine cover continues to play an unparalleled role in attracting and engaging the audience that makes our medium indispensable to readers and advertisers alike.

The cover is the face of the magazine; it is not an advertising position. The cover is editors’ and circulators’ most effective tool for communicating with newsstand buyers as well as subscribers. Using the cover to promote products other than the magazine itself weakens the power and effectiveness of the cover. Advertising on the cover suggests editorial endorsement of advertised products, indicates that editorial coverage is for sale and threatens editorial independence. Cover ads compromise the relationship between editor and reader, impair circulation tactics and efforts, weaken the value of magazines to advertisers and potentially damage the brands of marketers that advertise both on the cover and inside the book.

The earliest magazine editors were also printers—leaders in the development of new technologies and pioneers in the new media of their day. In that tradition, the use of contemporary printing and manufacturing techniques to promote the magazine or provide advertising opportunities to marketing partners is to be commended, even in connection with the cover, as long as the use of flaps, strips, windows, French doors and other devices does not violate the journalistic use of the front cover and is initiated or approved by the editorial leadership of the publication.

ASME members have led the transformation of print journalism in the last five decades. ASME encourages innovation by our publishing colleagues and knows that our future depends on the adventurous use of print and magazine websites by advertisers. Nonetheless, the members of ASME believe that using the front cover exclusively to achieve editorial and circulation objectives supports the continuing success of magazines and that sacrificing proven business practices for short-term gain is ill-advised.

Because of the importance of the cover to the survival of magazines as an advertising medium, and the preeminent value of the cover to journalists in every magazine category, ASME invites our magazine colleagues and marketing partners to join us in ensuring that the front cover continues to be used solely for editorial and circulation purposes.