What Facebook's Updated List of Ad Principles Means for Users and Businesses
To say Facebook has received its fair share of criticism with regards to its ad targeting is an understatement. But you could argue that such criticism has been warranted.
In late 2016, Facebook’s ad targeting was highly scrutinized, specifically after it became known that people were able to target and exclude certain races within their ad campaigns - a tactic that was prevalent throughout the housing industry.
So yet again, Facebook has had to release an update to its ad principles. But this latest update has been issued not only to clarify points of controversy but also to assure its users of the continued need for ads on the social network.
Let's take a brief look at the major points from its ad principles update.
"We build for people first."
In the opening point, Facebook emphasizes the need for all 3 parties involved (Facebook, user, and business) to be satisfied with Facebook’s advertising. To achieve this, ads first need to be useful to its users.
If an ad isn’t relevant to a particular person, it only disrupts a user’s Facebook experience – which is bad for users, and subsequently, it’s bad for Facebook. But the same ad is also unlikely to perform well – which is bad for businesses, and again, bad for Facebook.
By first focusing on people and developing ways for only the most relevant and useful ads to reach them, all other parties benefit.
"We don't sell your data."
Facebook doesn’t shy away from confirming that the social network doesn’t sell personal information. This means that, while ad targeting may depend on a user’s information and interests, such data isn’t available to businesses.
Because privacy is an element that Facebook takes pride in, this principle comes as no surprise. The only information that businesses can potentially access is the information that users make “public.”
So if you’re a Facebook user with little to no information that you have made public, rest assured that your private information is not being sold to anyone.
"You can control the ads you see."
With ad preferences, Facebook gives more power to its users, allowing them to further customize their experience with ads. This feature gives users the options of hiding or blocking certain ads, and shows them what personal data is driving the types of ads they are seeing.
From there, users can make convenient adjustments to their information and interests, improving the relevancy of the ads they see in the future. This is an improvement for users and businesses alike; users can choose the ads they want to see, while businesses reach more people who will be receptive to their content.
"Advertising should be transparent."
In the update, Facebook announces that it is currently developing an “ads transparency” feature, which will allow users to view all of the active ads on any business pages they visit. This feature will also show users whether an ad is being shown to them.
With this addition, Facebook hopes to create greater transparency for users; and with more ads being publicly available, the platform intends to hold businesses to a higher standard with regards to the ad campaigns they run.
"Advertising should be safe and civil; it should not divide or discriminate."
In what could be seen as a response to the housing ad targeting fiasco in 2016, Facebook takes a firm stance on discrimination. While referring to its Community Standards as a baseline, the social network also claims that advertisers are now held to an even tighter set of standards.
Before an ad can be published, it must undergo a review process. Facebook first reviews the post and then marks it as either “approved” or “disapproved.” And as one would imagine, an ad’s “grade” is dependent on how it measures up against Facebook’s advertising policies.
"Advertising should empower businesses big and small."
After 5 points that are focused on the user’s ad experience, Facebook shifts its focus toward businesses. Acknowledging not only businesses in general but also small businesses, Facebook vows to optimize its ad targeting so that small businesses can use the platform as a primary avenue for marketing.
No longer does a small business require the same team and resources of a large business to compete. Instead, Facebook levels the playing field by providing the same marketing tools to all businesses alike.
"We're always improving our advertising."
And finally, Facebook lets users and businesses know that its ad targeting is a work in progress; and of the 7 points, this one might be the most important. Facebook acknowledges that ad targeting still needs work, pledging to listen to its users and look for ways to improve the platform’s advertising features.
So while ad targeting still has a long way to go, Facebook has already made significant adjustments to move the feature forward. It’s clear that Facebook has made advertising a point of emphasis, so look for that trend to continue in 2018.