Advertising Terms & Conditions

Advertiser means the business or person buying advertising, and any agency acting for them. An agency placing an order is jointly responsible with its client for payment.

Order means any purchase of advertising: an online booking or checkout, a signed insertion order, a written proposal accepted by email, or an Annual Partnership agreement.

Sponsored Feature means paid editorial-style content, including Founders, Glimpse, Insight, Noteworthy industry spotlights, and editorial profiles in Annual Partnerships.

An Advertiser accepts these Advertising Terms by placing an Order, checking the acceptance box at booking, signing an insertion order, or submitting ad materials. The person placing the Order confirms they have authority to bind the Advertiser.

An Order is confirmed when HMG accepts it in writing (including by email) or publishes the ad. Space is reserved only after confirmation and any required deposit.

An Annual Partnership is a commitment to the full schedule of issues and features listed in the Order, usually six bimonthly issues over 12 months. Partnership pricing reflects that full commitment. If an Annual Partnership ends early for any reason other than HMG's breach, the Advertiser owes the difference between the partnership rate paid and HMG's published single-issue rate for the issues that already ran (a "short rate"), plus any amounts owed under Section 4.

Issue dates, page counts, and publication schedules may change. HMG will give reasonable notice of any change to an issue the Advertiser has booked.

Rates are those in the Order or HMG's current rate card at the time of booking. Rates for future issues not yet booked may change.

• New advertisers: payment in full is due before the ad materials deadline.
• Annual Partnerships: billed per issue by card or ACH on file, starting with the first issue.
• Invoices: due within 15 days of the invoice date.
• Late payment: balances more than 30 days past due accrue a late fee of 1.5% per month (or the maximum allowed by law, if lower). HMG may hold future ads until the account is current, and the Advertiser pays reasonable collection costs and attorney fees.
• By providing a card or bank account, the Advertiser authorizes HMG to charge it for all scheduled insertions in the Order.

Billing disputes: questions about a charge must be raised in writing to inquiries@hinsdalemag.com within 30 days of the charge. The Advertiser agrees to contact HMG and try to resolve the issue first before filing a dispute or chargeback with a card issuer or bank. Ads that ran as ordered are considered delivered. HMG may share the signed Order, these Advertising Terms, proof approvals, and copies of published issues with a card issuer to respond to a dispute.

Cancellations must be made in writing by email to inquiries@hinsdalemag.com. A phone call or voicemail is not a cancellation.

• Before the space reservation deadline (about 30 days before the issue mails): no charge, except any deposit for design work already completed.
• After the space reservation deadline: the Advertiser owes the full cost of that issue's ad.
• Sponsored Features: once interviews, writing, or photography have begun, 50% of the feature price is non-refundable. Once the feature has been approved or sent to print, the full price is owed.
• Annual Partnerships: may be cancelled with 60 days' written notice. Issues within that notice period are owed in full, and the short-rate adjustment in Section 2 applies.

Changes to ad copy or size must be received by the materials deadline. HMG will try to accommodate late changes but cannot guarantee them.

Advertisers must deliver finished ads, or the copy, logos, and photos HMG needs to design them, by the materials deadline for each issue. If materials arrive late, HMG may run the Advertiser's most recent ad or a simple ad built from its logo and contact information, and the ad is still owed in full.

HMG provides complimentary design for display ads, including two rounds of revisions. Additional revisions or major redesigns may be billed at an hourly rate.

HMG sends a proof before publication. The Advertiser is responsible for checking names, phone numbers, prices, addresses, and offers. If HMG does not receive corrections by the proof deadline, the proof is considered approved.

Ads HMG designs may be used only in HMG publications unless the Advertiser buys usage rights. Photography HMG commissions remains HMG's property unless agreed otherwise in writing.

Sponsored Features are paid content. To keep reader trust and follow FTC guidance on advertising, every Sponsored Feature will carry a clear label such as "Sponsored," "Paid Feature," or "Advertisement" in print and online. The Advertiser may not ask HMG to remove or hide this label.

HMG's editorial team writes and edits Sponsored Features in the magazine's style. The Advertiser may review the feature for factual accuracy before publication. HMG keeps final say over headlines, length, editing, photo selection, and layout.

The Advertiser is responsible for the accuracy of facts, credentials, and claims it supplies, including professional titles, awards, and results. Attorneys, doctors, dentists, financial advisors, and other licensed professionals are responsible for making sure their content meets their own professional advertising rules.

Unpaid news and editorial coverage is decided by HMG's editors alone. Buying advertising does not buy, guarantee, or prevent news coverage.

Placement. Ad positions are at HMG's discretion unless a specific position (such as a cover, inside cover, or "priority placement") is written into the Order. Guaranteed positions are honored for the full term of the Order. If HMG cannot deliver a guaranteed position, the Advertiser's sole remedy is a comparable position or a credit for the price difference.

Exclusivity. Category exclusivity applies only when the Order states it in writing. It covers the category, publication(s), and issues named in the Order — for example, "no other family law attorney display ads in Hinsdale Magazine, Jan 2027 to Dec 2027." It does not cover unpaid news coverage, event listings, classified or directory listings, or a competitor's presence in a different category or publication. If HMG breaches exclusivity, the Advertiser's remedy is a credit for the affected issue. Exclusivity ends automatically if the Advertiser's account is more than 30 days past due.

Circulation and readership. Mailed copy counts are HMG's planned distribution per issue (currently about 36,000 copies across four titles). Estimated readership figures are estimates based on industry pass-along research, not guarantees. Actual delivery may vary because of postal service performance, weather, or other events outside HMG's control. HMG does not guarantee specific sales, leads, calls, or results from any ad.

If HMG makes a significant error in an ad that the Advertiser did not approve on a proof — such as a wrong phone number — HMG will run a corrected ad of the same size in the next available issue at no charge (a "makegood"), or credit the cost of the affected ad. The Advertiser must report the error in writing within 10 days of the issue mailing. Errors in an approved proof, or minor errors that do not materially affect the ad's value, do not qualify.

A makegood or credit is the Advertiser's sole remedy for errors, omissions, late delivery, or failure to publish. HMG's total liability for any claim relating to an Order is limited to the amount the Advertiser paid for the affected ad or feature. HMG is not liable for lost profits, lost business, or indirect or consequential damages.

HMG is not responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside its control, including postal service disruptions, printer failures, paper shortages, severe weather, power or internet outages, or government action. In those cases HMG will run the ad in the next available issue or issue a credit.

The Advertiser confirms that its ads and supplied materials are truthful, comply with all laws (including consumer protection, fair housing, and professional licensing rules), and do not infringe anyone's copyright, trademark, privacy, or publicity rights. The Advertiser has permission from any person whose name, photo, or testimonial appears in its ad.

The Advertiser will defend and indemnify HMG against claims, losses, and reasonable attorney fees arising from the content of its ads or materials it supplied, or from its breach of these Advertising Terms.

The Advertiser keeps ownership of its logos, trademarks, photos, and copy. It grants HMG a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use them to produce and publish the ads and Sponsored Features in its Order — in print, in digital editions and flipbooks, on HMG websites and newsletters, and on HMG social media. HMG may also show published ads and features as samples of its work. This license lasts for the term of the Order and, for content already published, in HMG's archives and back issues. This section replaces the broader user content license in the website Terms of Use for advertising materials.

Right to refuse. HMG may decline or stop running any ad or Sponsored Feature that it considers misleading, unlawful, or inconsistent with its community standards. If HMG cancels an Order for this reason, it will refund amounts paid for ads that have not yet run.

Digital placements. Digital edition, website, newsletter, and social media placements run for the period stated in the Order. HMG does not guarantee specific impressions, clicks, or website uptime unless stated in the Order.

Changes to these terms. HMG may update these Advertising Terms for future Orders. The version in effect when an Order is confirmed applies to that Order.

Governing law. These Advertising Terms are governed by Illinois law. Any dispute will be resolved in the state courts of DuPage County, Illinois, and both parties consent to that venue.

Entire agreement. The Order and these Advertising Terms are the full agreement for that advertising. A signed Order may change specific terms in writing. If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.