Navigating the world of digital advertising can be complex, especially when dealing with ads that impact significant life decisions. Meta’s Special Ad Categories are designed to ensure that advertisers comply with anti-discrimination laws and policies. In this blog, we’ll introduce these categories, clarify what qualifies, and outline the steps required to get your ads approved.
Understanding Special Ad Categories
Special Ad Categories on Meta’s platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, are intended to prevent discrimination in ads related to housing, employment, or credit opportunities. Let’s break down each category:
1. Housing
- What Qualifies: Ads promoting or linking to housing opportunities or services, including selling or renting properties, real estate services, homeowners insurance, mortgage loans, and housing repair services.
- What Doesn’t: General home-related ads, like furniture sales or home decoration, are excluded.
Example: An ad from a real estate agency listing homes for sale is in this category, while an ad for a sofa sale isn’t.
2. Employment
- What Qualifies: Job opportunity ads, including those for full-time or part-time positions, internships, professional certifications, or job fairs, as well as employment agency services.
- What Doesn’t: Ads for non-job-related products or services, like office supplies or unrelated training courses.
Example: Advertising an engineering job position qualifies, but selling office furniture doesn’t.
3. Credit
- What Qualifies: Ads promoting credit offerings, such as credit cards, personal, auto, and home loans, and financing services.
- What Doesn’t: Services unrelated to credit offers, like investment advice or general insurance products.
Example: An ad for a new credit card offer fits this category, whereas an ad offering investment advice does not.
4. Social Issues, Elections or Politics
- What Qualifies: Ads that are made in the context of promoting, opposing, or influencing social issues, elections, or political candidates. This includes advocacy for or against social causes, ads by or about political figures and parties, election-related content, and issue-based campaigns (like climate change or healthcare reform).
- What Doesn’t: Non-political content, even if it’s tangentially related to a social issue. For instance, educational content about voting systems or historical political events does not fall into this category unless it is framed in a way to influence current political outcomes.
Example: An advertisement urging people to vote in an upcoming election qualifies, whereas a general informational ad about voting procedures does not.
Steps to Get Your Ads Approved
To run ads in Meta’s Special Ad Categories, there are indeed additional steps and requirements beyond the general ad creation and submission process. These steps include identity verification and specific settings for the Facebook Page linked to the advertising account. Here’s a detailed overview:
1. Identity Verification
- Personal Identity Verification: Meta may require personal identity verification for individuals managing the ad account. This involves submitting identification documents to prove your identity.
- Purpose of Verification: This step is designed to add a layer of security and accountability, ensuring that advertisers are who they claim to be, especially when dealing with sensitive ad categories.
2. Page Settings and Requirements
- Linking to a Facebook Page: Ads in Special Ad Categories usually need to be linked to an active Facebook Page.
- Page Role Verification: Ensure that you have the necessary role (like admin or editor) on the Facebook Page linked to the ad account.
- Page Transparency and Authorization: The Page may need to go through additional transparency and authorization processes, especially if the ads are related to social issues, elections, or politics, which can sometimes intersect with Special Ad Categories.
3. Ad Account Settings
- Ad Account Review: Your ad account itself might be subject to a review process to ensure it meets Meta’s standards and policies.
- Ad Account History: A clean history of compliance with Meta’s advertising policies can be beneficial.
4. Location-Specific Requirements
- Country-Specific Rules: Depending on your location, there may be additional requirements or steps to comply with local laws and Meta’s regional policies.
5. Ancillary Approvals and Settings
- Ad Content and Targeting: As previously mentioned, the ad content and targeting must adhere to the rules for Special Ad Categories.
- Two-Factor Authentication: For security purposes, enabling two-factor authentication on your Facebook account may be required.
- Training and Certification: In some cases, Meta may require advertisers to complete specific training or certification, particularly if the ads deal with sensitive issues.
6. Monitoring and Compliance
- Regular Monitoring: Even after approval, it’s crucial to regularly monitor your ads and account for compliance with ongoing policy changes.
- Responsive Adjustments: Be prepared to make prompt adjustments if Meta notifies you of any issues with your ads or account settings.
Why It’s Necessary
Running ads in Meta’s Special Ad Categories without undergoing the proper steps, such as identity verification, updating page settings, and obtaining approval to advertise sensitive content, can have several significant ramifications. These consequences are in place to maintain the integrity and legality of advertising practices on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, especially in areas prone to discrimination. Here are some of the key ramifications:
1. Ad Disapproval
- Immediate Ad Rejection: Ads that fall under Special Ad Categories but haven’t gone through the proper approval process are likely to be rejected during the review process.
- Inability to Publish Ads: You might find yourself unable to publish any ads until you complete the necessary steps.
2. Account Limitations or Suspension
- Temporary Restrictions: Your ad account could face temporary restrictions, limiting your ability to create or run any ads.
- Account Suspension: Repeated attempts to run such ads without proper verification and approval may lead to the suspension of your advertising account.
3. Legal and Compliance Issues
- Violation of Platform Policies: You’ll be in violation of Meta’s advertising policies, which could lead to further scrutiny of your account and activities.
- Legal Consequences: Depending on the nature of the ad and the jurisdiction, you could potentially face legal issues, especially if the ads are deemed discriminatory or in violation of laws governing housing, employment, or credit advertising.
4. Brand Reputation Damage
- Negative Publicity: Attempting to circumvent rules can lead to negative publicity, damaging your brand’s reputation.
- Loss of Trust: Customers and users may lose trust in your brand if they perceive that you’re not adhering to ethical advertising practices.
5. Impact on Future Advertising Efforts
- Increased Scrutiny: Your future advertising efforts might be subjected to more rigorous scrutiny & review, slowing down the approval process.
- Long-Term Restrictions: Your ability to utilize the full range of advertising features on Meta could be limited in the long term.
