Facebook has continued its brand safety drive with the release of several new measures and tools designed to combat fake news providers, improve viewability and metrics, and ensure that ads only appear alongside high-quality news and articles. The social media giant announced the new features at digital industry conference Dmexco on Wednesday.
The headline addition is the application of new monetisation rules for certain types of content. This means that any videos or resources featuring inappropriate language, explicit, adult or violent content, debated social issues, tragedy and conflict, drug or alcohol use, and the misappropriation of children’s characters are prohibited from its Instant Articles and any in-stream ads.
Advertisers will now also be able to access pre- and post-campaign reporting to see who exactly is monetising their content. This is a notable step forward, as brands previously had to use guesswork and assumptions about where ads may have been placed. They can also create lists to exclude certain publishers if required. The move should benefit those creating relevant, organic articles, as there will be less noise to cut through.
Facebook executive Carolyn Everson said that the changes were implemented to ease growing concerns among marketers who have been perturbed by several high-profile cases of ads appearing alongside unsavoury content on various social platforms. She added that a “zero-tolerance approach” would be difficult due to the sheer volume of content, but hopes that the new measures and improvements in reporting and reviewing will also help.
“At Facebook, we take very seriously our responsibility to earn and maintain the trust of our advertiser partners – and give them the confidence they need to invest in us. That’s critical to their success and ours,” Everson said. “That is why we’re introducing new monetisation eligibility standards that will provide clearer guidance on the types of publishers and creators eligible to earn money on Facebook and the kind of content that can be monetised.”
The pre-campaign analytics tool will start rolling out to brands next week, while post-campaign reporting with an overview of all ad placements is set to arrive in the coming months. Facebook also announced mid-week that it will begin working with two new viewability partners, Meetrics and DoubleVerify, to provide the solutions that brands need in each market.
