Special Ad Categories
When running Facebook ads, certain industries and topics require additional oversight due to the sensitive nature of the content. These are classified under Special Ad Categories by Facebook, which impose specific restrictions and guidelines for advertisers. Special Ad Categories are designed to ensure that ads are fair, non-discriminatory, and comply with legal and ethical standards. Businesses in these sectors must be aware of the limitations to create successful campaigns while staying compliant.
What Are Special Ad Categories?
Special Ad Categories are specific classifications established by Facebook for certain types of ads that could potentially violate anti-discrimination laws or cause harm. These categories are particularly relevant to industries or topics that involve personal, sensitive, or financial matters, including housing, employment, credit, politics, and social issues. The aim of these categories is to ensure ads are not targeting individuals based on sensitive personal characteristics in ways that could be considered unfair or discriminatory.
When creating ads within a Special Ad Categories, Facebook’s targeting options are more limited than in regular ad campaigns. For example, advertisers can no longer target ads by specific demographics such as age, gender, or zip code. This ensures that people aren’t unfairly excluded from seeing ads based on these factors, which could lead to discrimination.
Types of Special Ad Categories
- Housing:
- Ads related to housing (buying, renting, or selling properties) fall under this category. This includes advertisements for apartments, homes, or real estate listings. The special category exists to comply with housing anti-discrimination laws, such as the Fair Housing Act in the United States, which prohibits discrimination based on factors like race, gender, religion, or disability.
- Restrictions: Advertisers in this category are restricted from targeting based on age, gender, zip code, or certain other demographic information to prevent discriminatory practices in housing ads.
- Employment:
- Ads that promote job opportunities, career openings, and hiring advertisements fall into this category. Facebook’s policies aim to ensure that employment ads are not discriminatory based on factors like age, gender, race, or disability status.
- Restrictions: Like housing ads, targeting is restricted for employment ads. Employers can’t target specific groups based on personal characteristics, ensuring fair opportunities for all individuals.
- Credit:
- Ads related to credit products or services, including loans, credit cards, and other financial services, are categorized as credit-related ads. This category exists to comply with Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and similar regulations that prevent discrimination in credit offerings.
- Restrictions: Advertisers cannot target users based on sensitive personal information like income, credit score, or credit history. There are also limitations on targeting based on demographics to avoid discriminatory lending practices.
- Social Issues, Elections, or Politics:
- This category encompasses any ads related to social issues, political elections, or political content. Ads promoting political candidates, and political causes, or discussing issues of public concern such as environmental policies, social justice, and human rights fall under this category.
- Restrictions: Advertisers must include disclaimers about who paid for the ad. Facebook also imposes stricter rules around targeting for political ads, including banning certain types of demographic targeting (e.g., targeting based on political views, religion, etc.). These ads are subject to more scrutiny, particularly in relation to potential foreign interference or misinformation.
How Do Special Ad Categories Affect Targeting?
The primary effect of these categories is that the usual targeting options available for Facebook ads are restricted. For example, you cannot target people based on:
- Demographics: Age, gender, income, relationship status, etc.
- Location: You can no longer target by specific geographic areas such as zip codes or postal codes.
- Detailed Interests and Behaviors: Facebook removes options to target users based on detailed interests or online behaviors for ads within these categories.
Instead, advertisers in special ad categories must rely on broader targeting options, such as geographic location at a country or state level, and may be required to apply certain additional filters to ensure compliance with legal guidelines.
What Happens If You Don’t Comply?
If advertisers fail to classify their ads correctly or violate Facebook’s advertising policies for Special Ad Categories, their ads may be rejected, and they could face penalties, including being blocked from running ads altogether. Facebook provides a Special Ad Category Declaration form during the ad setup process that must be filled out accurately to ensure compliance. If an ad is flagged as non-compliant, it will be removed, and the advertiser may be required to modify their campaign or appeal the decision.
How to Navigate Special Ad Categories
- Be Transparent:
- Clearly define your objectives and ensure that your ads are targeting the right audience within the restricted guidelines. Use only the targeting options allowed under the special categories.
- Use Broad Targeting:
- For housing, employment, and credit ads, rely on broader targeting options like location and age range. Avoid trying to use data points that could be seen as discriminatory.
- Include Required Disclaimers:
- For political or social issue ads, include the necessary disclaimers that state who is responsible for the ad. This ensures that your ad is transparent and follows Facebook’s policy for social and political advertising.
- Stay Updated with Facebook’s Policy Changes:
- Since rules and guidelines around Special Ad Categories may evolve, it’s important to regularly check Facebook’s advertising policies to stay informed about any changes.
Special Ad Categories on Facebook are essential for protecting users from discrimination and ensuring that advertisers comply with relevant legal and ethical standards in sensitive sectors.
By adhering to these guidelines, real estate professionals, employers, lenders, and political advertisers can run effective campaigns while maintaining fairness and compliance.
Understanding and navigating these categories is crucial for any business that deals with housing, employment, credit, or social issues.
