Some companies are worried that their Instagram ads for cookware and soft drinks will pop up next to hateful memes.
Driving the news: Advertisers are reportedly considering whether they’ll have to pull their ads from Meta’s platforms if the company’s changes to its moderation policy mean their ads will appear next to objectionable content.
- Meta announced last week it would scrap its fact-checking program and move to a community notes model, similar to X. It also loosened rules on the type of content it would allow to be posted on its platforms.
Why it matters: Meta has built its US$135 billion ad business, in part, by assuring companies that their ads would appear in a relatively “brand-safe” space. More toxic content on Facebook and Instagram could make advertisers re-evaluate where they spend their marketing budgets.
- Hundreds of major advertisers including IBM, Apple, and Disney suspended their ads on X after Elon Musk purchased the platform and scrapped many of its rules against hate speech.
Yes, but: Meta is a much more important marketing channel for large brands than X ever was, making the decision to abandon it a more difficult one. If the platform continues to turn ad dollars into sales, advertisers might be more willing to overlook brand safety problems than they have been with other online platforms.—TS