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Personalised LinkedIn Ads: Legal Best Practices

When creating personalised LinkedIn ads that reference target companies, follow these guidelines to minimise legal risk and maintain compliance.

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Understanding Your Options

Company Names (Text Only) - Lower Risk ✅

Using a company's name in text form to identify them as your target audience is the most defensible approach, particularly in the US under nominative fair use principles.

Example: "Marketing solutions for [Company Name]"

Company Logos - Higher Impact, Higher Risk ⚠️

Using a company's logo creates more visually striking ads that grab attention. However, this approach carries increased legal risk as logos are distinctive brand assets with stronger trademark protection.

If you choose to use logos, risk mitigation is essential (see guidelines below).

Required Best Practices

1. Always Include Disclaimers

Every personalised ad must clearly explain the personalisation. This is especially critical when using logos.

Required disclaimer examples:

"This ad was personalised for [Company Name] using publicly available LinkedIn information"

"Not affiliated with or endorsed by [Company Name]"

"Personalised message for [Company Name] - no partnership implied"

For logo usage: Consider more prominent disclaimer placement to reduce confusion risk.

2. Never Imply Endorsement or Partnership

This rule is critical regardless of whether you use names or logos.

Safe messaging:

  • "Solutions designed for companies like [Company Name]"

  • "Discover how we help organisations such as [Company Name]"

  • "We'd love to work with [Company Name]"

Prohibited messaging:

  • "Join [Company Name] and our other clients"

  • "[Company Name] trusts [Your Product]"

  • "[Company Name] uses our solution"

  • Anything suggesting an existing relationship, partnership, or endorsement

3. Target Carefully

Ensure your personalised ads are only visible to employees of the target company, not the broader public. Wider visibility increases the risk of confusion about business relationships.

4. Respect Geographic Differences

US: More flexible under nominative fair use doctrine, but logo usage still increases risk

EU/UK: Stricter trademark laws make logo usage significantly riskier; requires very conservative approach with prominent disclaimers

Best practice: EU/UK campaigns should strongly consider name-only approach. If using logos, obtain legal review first.

Risk Assessment

Approach

Risk Level

Recommendation

Company name (text) + disclaimer

Lower ✅

Recommended for all campaigns

Company logo + prominent disclaimer + conservative messaging

Medium ⚠️

Acceptable with proper safeguards

Company logo without disclaimer

High ❌

Not recommended

Implying endorsement (with or without logo)

Very High ❌

Never acceptable

Additional Risk Mitigation for Logo Usage

If you choose to use company logos, implement these additional safeguards:

1. Use logos appropriately

  • Don't modify, distort, or alter the logo

  • Maintain proper sizing and clear space

  • Use high-quality versions

2. Enhance disclaimer visibility

  • Place disclaimers prominently, not buried in fine print

  • Consider larger font sizes for logo-based ads

  • Ensure disclaimers are immediately visible with the logo

3. Conservative messaging required

  • Be extra careful to avoid any suggestion of endorsement

  • Keep copy focused on "solutions for" rather than "solutions used by"

  • Consider having legal review before launch

4. Monitor and respond

  • If a company objects, remove their logo immediately

  • Maintain a process for handling opt-out requests

  • Document your compliance efforts

5. Consider company size and brand protection history

  • Large, well-known brands are higher risk (more likely to enforce)

  • Companies with history of brand protection may be litigious

  • When targeting Fortune 500 or major brands, strongly consider name-only approach

Platform Compliance

LinkedIn prohibits ads that:

  • Infringe intellectual property rights

  • Are false, misleading, or deceptive

Violating platform policies can result in account suspension regardless of legal defensibility. Logo usage may attract more scrutiny from platform moderators.

When to Consult Legal Counsel

Strongly recommended if you're:

  • Using company logos (especially for large campaigns)

  • Targeting well-known or Fortune 500 brands

  • Operating across multiple jurisdictions (especially EU/UK)

  • Running high-budget campaigns

  • Received any cease-and-desist communications

Required if you're:

  • Targeting brands known for aggressive trademark enforcement

  • Planning to use logos for companies in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, etc.)

GDPR Considerations (EU/UK)

Ensure you have:

  • Lawful basis for data processing (typically legitimate interests)

  • Appropriate transparency about data use

  • Process for honouring opt-out requests promptly

Our Platform Approach

Our personalisation features support both approaches:

  • Text-based personalisation: Lower risk, recommended for most campaigns

  • Logo personalisation: Available for higher-impact ads with proper safeguards

  • Compliant disclaimer templates provided

  • Targeting restricted to company employees only

  • Uses only publicly available LinkedIn data

We provide the tools, but you remain responsible for ad content, compliance with applicable laws, and accepting the associated risks.

Making Your Choice

Choose text-only personalisation if:

  • You want the lowest legal risk profile

  • You're targeting well-known brands

  • You're operating in EU/UK markets

  • You prefer conservative approach

Consider logo personalisation if:

  • You're willing to accept increased risk for higher visual impact

  • You implement all recommended safeguards

  • You're operating primarily in US market

  • You have legal counsel review

  • You're targeting mid-market companies with lower enforcement history

Bottom Line

Text-only formula: Company name + clear disclaimer + no implied endorsement = Lower risk

Logo formula: Company logo + prominent disclaimer + conservative messaging + careful targeting + risk acceptance = Higher impact, higher risk

Both approaches can work when executed properly, but logo usage requires extra diligence and carries inherent additional risk. Choose based on your risk tolerance and implement appropriate safeguards.


Legal Disclaimer: This guide provides general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Logo usage carries increased trademark infringement risk. Consult qualified legal counsel in your jurisdiction before implementing personalised advertising campaigns, especially those using company logos.

Last updated: September 2025

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