Meta rolls out new brand safety controls for Facebook & Instagram ads

Meta has introduced new brand suitability controls, giving businesses greater control over how their ads appear across Facebook and Instagram, as part of its continued investment in brand safety and suitability tools.

In an official blog post, the company said, “Last year, we started rolling out the ability for businesses to run ads on Facebook and Instagram profiles, which is a great opportunity to reach more customers while they’re deeply engaged. To give businesses more control over which profiles their ads can appear on, we tested the ability for them to block their ads from appearing on certain Instagram profiles by applying a 'publisher block list'. Based on the interest in this feature, we are expanding the control from Instagram to Facebook profile ads.”

The company is currently testing a feature allowing businesses to turn off comments on their Facebook and Instagram ads, a tool particularly useful during sensitive campaigns. The comment control option is limited to a select number of businesses but will be tested and potentially expanded.

The company is also expanding control over where ads appear, allowing businesses to block specific Instagram profiles from showing their ads through a publisher block list. This control will soon extend to Facebook profile ads, enhancing advertisers' ability to manage their brand environment.

The company is deepening its third-party integrations through collaborations with Meta Business Partners, enabling businesses to use content block lists in Feed and Reels. This control allows businesses to block specific content categories, with the company's inventory filter enhancing brand suitability rates. Integral Ad Science (IAS) has been selected as the initial test partner, with full functionality expected to launch in 2025.

The company has improved its third-party verification capabilities, speeding up data availability to Brand Safety and Suitability partners by over 75%. This enhancement allows advertisers to more quickly analyse adjacent content and make necessary adjustments.

The Brand Safety and Suitability Center has been updated to streamline campaign management. A new overview dashboard now allows advertisers to control settings such as inventory filters and publisher block lists, making the process more efficient and time-saving.