Image: Chesnot/Getty Images
By Matt Binder
Facebook made a move to calm advertiser fears as the company continues to deal with the fallout from its political ad policies.
On Wednesday, Facebook announced an array of new test features specifically aimed at protecting brands on the social network. These tools were created to help companies wield more control over where their ads run.
Most important are publisher whitelists. Advertisers will now be able to tell Facebook exactly what sites, videos, and apps it feels comfortable running ads on.
Facebook previously allowed advertisers to create block lists, letting the social media giant know which content it does not want to run ads on. However, it’s nearly impossible to list every video and app an advertiser wouldn’t want to associate with. This makes things simpler for advertisers, and lets them be more proactive. The whitelist covers Facebook advertising on third-party apps and in-video ads. The company also announced a whitelist for content-specific videos as well.
In addition to the whitelist feature, Facebook announced improved ad delivery reports and a new brand safety partner, Zefr. The company joins other partners, such as DoubleVerify, Open Slate, and Integral Ad Science, in working to help manage brand safety on Facebook.
This new set of advertising tools comes at a time when Facebook has been heavily criticized for its decision to not fact-check political ads in the name of free speech.
Advertisers have been wary of running certain types of ads on Facebook out of fear the brand would be seen alongside unsavory content. Facebook has worked to clean up certain types of content.
Earlier this year, for example, the company decided to ban all white nationalist content from the platform. Following the Christchurch shooting, the company also instituted a “one strike” policy for anyone who breaks site policy while livestreaming.
However, Facebook hasn’t really felt much pain over these issues, with the company reporting more profit than ever before. These new brand-centric features seem to be more about keeping advertisers happy and spending even more money than a stop-gap to keep anyone from leaving. Advertisers have a lot to lose if they don’t work with the social network thanks to its billions of users and ad tools that allow precision microtargeting.
