Meta has announced it is testing a new control that allows businesses to turn off the comments on Facebook and Instagram ads.
Brands have been able to switch off comments on Facebook and IG promotions after publishing for a long time but this will add the capacity to deactivate comments before the campaign goes live.
"We understand this functionality can be important for brands when running sensitive campaigns or during periods of heightened sensitivity," the announcement stated.
"Comment controls are currently available to a limited number of businesses, and we will continue to test and iterate on this functionality and its availability."
But some have raised concerns that switching off comments can be seen as overly protective and even deceptive in some instances.
Meta is also working towards giving businesses more control over the profiles ads can appear on.
Last year, Meta started rolling out the ability for businesses to run ads on Facebook and Instagram profiles, but this wasn't managed closely and could cause brand incompatibility issues.
To give businesses more control over which profiles ads can appear on, Meta tested the ability for brands to block ads from appearing on certain Instagram profiles by applying a 'publisher block list'.
Based on the interest in this feature, Meta will expanding the control from Instagram to Facebook profile ads.
Businesses can upload a list of any public profiles where they don’t want their ads to appear.
Similarly, Meta is working to give businesses even more control over where ads appear in Feed and Reels through third-party content block lists.
Businesses can work directly with Meta Business Partners to determine which specific categories they may want to block — these decisions happen directly between businesses and their chosen Meta Business Partner because businesses should ultimately decide what their own suitability preferences are.
In early testing, when pairing Meta’s inventory filter for Feed and Reels with this third-party content block list, businesses are seeing their brand suitability rate increase with this added layer of control.
Meta selected Integral Ad Science (IAS) as the initial test partner and aims is to bring the functionality to market in early 2025 once testing and analysis is complete.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.