Prohibited ads across Search and Social platforms

Part of managing successful ad campaigns involves knowing what types of ad content is disallowed and what’s restricted across the social and search ad landscapes. Most prohibited content (counterfeit goods, illegal products, and services, etc.) and restricted content (political ads, alcohol, etc.) follow similar standards from one platform to the next but each company has its own set of rules.

Across all social and search ad platforms, the standard rules apply for prohibited ads: no promoting counterfeit goods, tobacco, illegal products or services. No promotions that include trademark or copyright infringement or fraudulent and deceptive practices. Restricted ad content – ads you can run, but with certain limitations – are a bit more varied from platform to platform. Some platforms make their rules easy to follow or refrain from getting too much into the minutiae of things, while others are very specific. The following list gives marketers a general idea of each platform prohibited and restricted ad guidelines, while also calling out the more unique policies from site to site.

Facebook and Instagram

Facebook’s prohibited ad content across its family of apps includes the standards: no ads promoting illegal products or services, tobacco products or firearms and weapons. It also prohibits ads for surveillance equipment or any ad content that includes third-party infringement (no ads that violate copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other personal or proprietary rights).  

But there are a few topics worth noting. For example, the company does not allow ads that lead to a non-functioning landing page, “This includes landing page content that interferes with a person’s ability to navigate away from the page.” You cannot advertise for payday loans, paycheck advancement services or bail bonds. And here’s one that makes anyone wonder if there was a specific instance that inspired the rule: Facebook does not allow the sale of body parts.

For restricted content, advertisers wanting to promote online dating services must receive permission from the platform before running ads, same with political and issue-related ads and cryptocurrency products and services. Promotions around gambling, state lotteries, OTC drugs and online pharmacies also come with restrictions.

Google and YouTube

Google keeps its prohibited and restricted ads general, outlining a high-level overview of what’s prohibited and what’s restricted. Prohibited ad content includes: Counterfeit goods, Dangerous products or services, Ads that enable dishonest behavior, Inappropriate content.

Google also separates out ad practices it prohibits abusing the ad network, misrepresentation and data collection, and use.

The company’s list of restricted ad content is more comprehensive, but still stays within the usual parameters without any odd items – like human body parts. Google’s restricted content ad policies include: Adult content, Alcohol, Copyrights, Gambling, and games, Healthcare and medicines, Political content, Financial services, Trademarks, Legal requirements (all ads must comply with the laws and regulations pertaining to the location where the ad is displayed). Google keeps its ad policies at a high-level for the most part, a tactic that gives the company more control to decide on a case-by-case basis what’s allowed and what’s not.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a Microsoft-owned platform, but it's prohibited and restricted ad policies are separate from the rules outlined for Microsoft and Bing. In addition to the usual disallowed content, LinkedIn’s list of prohibited ads has some interesting entries. For example, the site does not allow ads for downloadable ringtones and occult pursuits (“Ads for fortune-telling, dream interpretations, and individual horoscopes are prohibited, except when the emphasis is on amusement rather than serious interpretation”).

Also, instead of having restrictive measures around political ads, LinkedIn prohibits any political ad content, the same as its parent company: no ads advocating for or against a political candidate or promoting ballot propositions. LinkedIn’s restricted ad content includes the following: Alcohol, Animal products, Dating services, Soliciting funds, Medical devices, Short-term loans, and financial services.

One side note about LinkedIn’s ad policies, the company specifically states that it prohibits ads that are offensive to good taste. “This means ads must not be, for example, hateful, vulgar, sexually suggestive or violent. In special circumstances, LinkedIn may determine that an ad that was acceptable is no longer appropriate as we update our policies to reflect new laws or clarify our position.”

Microsoft (Bing)

Microsoft’s disallows and restricted ad policies, which includes rules for Bing search ads can be confusing to follow. The company has published a one-page list of “Restricted and disallowed content policies,” but within that page are links to more detailed pages for “Disallowed content policies” and “Disallowed and restricted products and services policies”.

Microsoft disallows any election-related content, political parties, candidates and ballot measures. Ads promoting fundraising efforts for political candidates, parties, PACs and ballot measures are also prohibited. As with other platforms, Microsoft doesn’t allow weapons to be advertised on its platforms. This includes firearms and ammunition, but also knives: “Knives that are positioned as weapons or whose primary use is violence, including switchblade knives, disguised knives, buckle knives, lipstick case knives, air gauge knives, knuckle knives and writing pen knives.” In Brazil, India, and Vietnam, Microsoft does not allow advertising that promotes infant feeding products such as baby formula, feeding bottles, rubber nipples or baby food of any kind.

Pinterest

Pinterest’s prohibited ad content guidelines follow the standard themes. No ads for Drugs and paraphernalia, Endangered species and live animals, Illegal products and services, Counterfeit goods, Sensitive content, Tobacco, Unacceptable business practices, Weapons, and explosives.

Pinterest defines “Sensitive content” as anything it deems divisive or disturbing. For example, language or imagery that is offensive or profane, excessively violent or gory, vulgar or sickening or politically, culturally or racially divisive or insensitive. It also does not allow content that capitalizes on controversial or tragic events – or references to sensitive health and medical conditions.

Pinterest does not allow any “Adult and nudity content” in ads on its platform. Also, ads containing clickbait are disallowed. Like LinkedIn, it prohibits political campaign ads. The company keeps its list of restricted ad content simple with a detailed outline of what it will and won’t allow around its restricted content. For example, ads that include contests, sweepstakes, and Pinterest incentives are restricted. Advertisers are asked not to require users to save a specific image or suggest that Pinterest in any way sponsors or endorses the promotion. It does state specifically that advertisers are not allowed to promote anything that, “Directs people to click on Pinterest buttons to get money, prizes or deals.”

Pinterest’s other restricted ad content includes: Alcohol, Financial products and services (ads promoting cryptocurrencies and payday loans are prohibited), Gambling products and services (no ads for lotteries, gambling gaming apps or gambling websites), Healthcare products and services. In terms of its healthcare-related ads, Pinterest does allow ads promoting products like eyeglasses or content lenses, Class I and II medical devices and OTC, non-prescription medicines. It does not allow ads for weight loss or appetite suppressant pills and supplements or promotions that claim unrealistic cosmetic results.

Reddit

Reddit’s list of prohibited and restricted list of ads follows suit with the other social platforms. Disallowed ads include promotions for counterfeit goods, hazardous products or services, illegal or fraudulent products or services and more of the same standard policies. It states specifically that advertisers are prohibited from using inappropriate targeting: “All targeting must be relevant, appropriate, and in compliance with relevant legal obligations of the advertiser.”

Reddit does not allow advertisements for addiction treatment centers and services, it does not accept advertising pertaining to political issues, elections or candidates outside of the U.S. It has a very specific list of financial services and products that are disallowed, including bail bonds, payday loans, debt assistance programs, cryptocurrency wallets, credit and debit cards, and “get rich quick schemes.”

Any advertiser wanting to promote gambling-related services must have their ads manually approved and certified by Reddit: “In order to be approved, the advertiser must be actively working with a Reddit Sales Representative.” This does not include ads for gaming promotions where nothing of value is exchanged, gambling-related merchandise or hotel-casinos where the ad is focused on the hotel. And while Reddit does allow ads for dating sites, apps and services, it prohibits any centered-on infidelity, fetish communities or any that discriminate by excluding persons of specific races, sexuality, religions, or political affiliations.

Snapchat

Snapchat’s prohibited ads include the usual suspects, but there are also entries that appear to be designed because of its younger audience. For example, the platform states specifically that it does not allow ads that, “Encourage Snapping and driving or other dangerous behaviors.” Also, it disallows ads intended to “shock the user” and no ads for app installs from sources other than the official app store for the user’s device. Other prohibited ads include any promotions that involve: Infringing content, Deceptive content, Hateful or discriminatory content, Inappropriate content.

Snapchat’s restricted ads for alcohol include a list of 18 countries where alcohol ads cannot be placed. Alcohol ad campaigns that run in allowed countries must not appeal particularly to minors or encourage excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. They must also refrain from glamorizing alcohol, “Or otherwise misrepresent the effects of consuming alcohol.” Snapchat requires alcohol advertisers to include warning labels such as “Please drink responsibly” within their ad copy.

Also, alcohol promotions must be targeted to users who meet the legal drinking age requirement within the country where the ads run. The same goes for gambling and lottery related ads – they must be targeted to users who meet the legal age requirement to gamble. Same as Reddit, Snapchat allows ads for dating services, but they must be targeted to users age 18 and over, and cannot include provocative, overtly sexual content or reference prostitution. Also, Snapchat does not allow ads that promote infidelity.

Many of Snapchat’s restrictive ad policies are by country. For example, it only permits targeting lottery-related ads to 14 countries, including Brazil, Iraq, Italy, Poland, and Russia – but not the U.S. Snapchat does not permit targeting ads for online dating services to Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Advertisers cannot target ads for OTC medicines in Columbia, Iraq, Lebanon, Romania, Spain, and Turkey. It also does not permit targeting ads for condoms in Bahrain, Ireland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Monaco, Oman, Poland, and Qatar.

Twitter

Twitter’s list of prohibited and restricted ads are arguably the easiest to follow. There are no out of the ordinary ads disallowed on the platform, and its restrictive policies are the same standard rules applied across the social ad landscape. The one area where Twitter distinguishes its policies from other platforms is by stating specifically that it prohibits ads promoting malware products and has restrictions around promotions for software downloads.

It’s worth noting that the ad content policies listed here for each of the platforms are as they stand now, but social platforms have a history of regularly changing their ad content policies. This has happened most notably during the past year and a half with political advertisements. Facebook has gone back and forth with its rules around cryptocurrency ads, totally banning the ads in January 2018 and then reversing its policies six months later. It wasn’t until last year Facebook began implementing ad targeting restrictions for weapon accessory ads to users 18 years and older.

Make YouTube work for Business

YouTube celebrities with their long list of subscribers are not the only influencers on the platform, there are several hobbyists on the platform who generate millions of views on their video posts. A small business can use local influencers on YouTube to propagate their marketing ideas to a niche audience readily available.

While businesses are eager to experiment with influencer marketing, the choice of platform is crucial to get the maximum return on investment (ROI). YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the new sensation Musical.ly, have witnessed a proliferation of users who have, a targeted audience readily available for your business. There are millions of social users who prefer YouTube because it gives them a bigger format to experiment and create content. Find out why YouTube may work for your business or may not.

The cost of creating content on YT is higher than other platforms simply because it is a large format content platform. The cost of employing an influencer on YT goes higher for businesses. It may be costlier but YT also gives you direct access to the platform to the bottom of the funnel which can be easily translated into better conversion rates through a relevant and intelligent marketing campaign.

If you are operating in the B2B space, then it may be more beneficial to look at YT for your influencer marketing campaign. For instance, a software company may find it more of a natural fit to create content on YT than on Instagram as it is more conducive to detailed content. Inversely, a fashion business which has more to display than talk may prefer other platforms or shorter videos.

The barrier to create content on a social platform like Instagram is very low as compared to YT. The general behavior of viewers on YT is to search and watch. On Instagram if you do not instantly follow people whose content you like, you may end up losing their feed. However, YT understands the viewer’s very well and keeps suggesting similar content created by others or of the same person, even if you do not subscribe. A business can always use different platforms for different kind of campaigns.

India's Internet Language Tree

Large Digital Platforms such as Google, Microsoft, YouTube and Facebook have stepped up their efforts to engage the non-English speaking Internet user by speaking in multiple tongues for a few years now. However entertainment is still the driving force behind much of the user engagement. Now many are looking at ways to lock in the next wave of Internet users with language support for critical services, thereby increasing user stickiness and brand engagement on their platforms.

Nearly 500 Million Internet non-users are likely to go digital if Internet is provided in a language of their choice. In the next four years, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu speaking Internet users will form 30 per cent of the total Indian language Internet user base, according to a Google-KPMG report on Indian languages (2017).

Internet platforms are turning polyglots not just because they see the rising importance of tapping into a user base that exists far beyond the top tier cities, but also brands are looking to ride their services to expand the customer base or improve employee efficiencies. Cab aggregator Ola has implemented language localization across the board to an extent that around 80 percent of the drivers use the language in the vernacular format. Google recently rolled out support for a number of languages on their proprietary keyboard or G-board.

Social Media has played a key role in driving the language train. Facebook has been actively prompting users to post content in their local language for years now. YouTube is collaborating with content creators across major cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai through fan events and creative spaces in order to encourage regional content.

There are 300 regional language channels on YouTube in India with over a million subscribers mark. Almost 70% music and video streamed online, 50% of messaging service usage and 50% news consumption across the country is done in regional languages. Globally, China managed to achieve the highest number of Internet users by using Mandarin script content, so much so that Chinese is the second most popular language on the Internet after English. In contrast, Indic content accounts for barely 0.1 % of the worldwide Internet content.

The potential for brands across the spectrum, not just advertisers and entertainers is huge. At present, barely 15% ticket booking, 17% online job searching and 21% banking services consumed online is done in regional languages. This reflects the restrictions of access of such critical Internet service in Indic, which in turn is limited Internet penetration in rural India and amongst the economically weaker section. Out of 481 Million Internet users in India almost 335 Million consume online content in Indic languages.

Bengaluru based technology startup Reverie Language Technologies, which provides Language as a Service (LaaS) solutions notes that a user’s online journey starts with content consumption, followed by engagement, which is followed by transactions or conversions. When the number of transaction-users grows, businesses will start looking into providing them with relevant localized solutions to solve their pain points. With 200 Million rural users coming online this year, companies will have to take efforts to help these users navigate through the digital world.

Nine YouTube hidden features

YouTube is normally the first choice for a majority of users when it comes to viewing or sharing videos. Google is always adding features to the service to improve functionality and performance. Here is what you can do to get the best YouTube.

It’s easy to make an animated GIF from a portion of YouTube video. Open the YouTube video of your choice and in the address bar of the browser, add the words ‘gif’ before YouTube (it should be gifyoutube.com). The site will redirect you to another page where you can select up to a 15 second clip from the video to convert to GIF. Once you have selected the animation time, a new page will give you the option to add, text effects and stickers. Once done, you can download the GIF to your computer.

You can share a video with playback starting at a set time. When sharing, look out for the “Start at” box. Check it and enter time. Or you can just add ‘?t=2m10s’ to the end of a short URL (for playback starting at 2 minutes and 10 seconds, in this example).

Karaoke YouTube is a great Karaoke companion. There are loads of music videos that come embedded with lyrics as subtitles. To use it as a Karaoke machine, you can connect your phone or laptop to your TV and use a mixer to attach external speakers and a microphone. If the lyrics are not present or not good, get a free browser extension called YouTube Lyrics – it will show you lyrics right next to the video. Change Caption styles if you enable subtitles closed caption on a video, you can press B on the keyboard to cycle through different colors and styles for better visibility.

YouTube has a full screen TV mode available if you want to watch videos from a distance. Just type http:www.youtube.comtv in the browser to launch the TV mode. TV mode can easily be controlled using your keyboard and has a dark theme so that it’s easy on the eyes in a dim room. You can browse through various categories as well as search for videos.

Many videos have background music. Head to http:www.mooma.sh, and then you can identify the background track using MooMa search function. Copy and paste the YouTube video link on MooMa and it will scan through its database of millions of songs to identify the song in less than a minute.

Magic Actions is one of the most feature rich browser extensions for YouTube. Once you added the extension, it opens a settings page where you can enable a lot of handy features including volume control using your mouse scroll wheel, force HD or 4k video playback, hide ads, bypass country restrictions, enable cinema mode as well as a speed booster for faster video loading.

While the desktop browser version does not offer an option of saving videos for offline play back, the YouTube app for iOS and Android has this option. For any video, you want to save for offline viewing, simply tap on the button that says ‘Add to offline’ and the video will be downloaded and saved to the My Videos section of the YouTube app. These can be viewed later without Internet connectivity.

Playing a 360 degree on YouTube is simple. Given the availability of cheap VR headsets, it’s only natural for YouTube to offer 360-degree video. To upload 360 degree video you first need to download and install the 360 video metadata app from http:www.github.comgooglespatial-mediareleases. In the app, open the 360 degree from your computer and check the box that says Spherical.