Ads rejected by Meta but no reason given

Ads rejected by Meta but no reason given

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Discussion

StevieBee

Original Poster:

13,578 posts

262 months

Tuesday 19th September 2023
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We recently produced some adverts for Social Media (https://vimeo.com/showcase/10132530). Client was a Police Force and the adverts tackled knife crime - the specific message was to encourage parents to talk to their kids about knives and knife crime.

The ads were hard-hitting but not shocking, didn't show actual knives - just kids (actors) talking about how knife crime affected them (the dialogue was based on actual accounts from kids that had been caught up in it).

Meta rejected two of the four ads we made as they contravened their safeguarding policy but failed to properly explain how. All four ads are broadly similar. Our client (who ran the campaign) have tried to contact them but keep getting what I suspect is an automatically generated response that keeps referring to their guidelines.

Has anyone had similar experience and been able to actually speak to someone at Meta?


LivLL

11,132 posts

204 months

Tuesday 19th September 2023
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Have the been through the ads authorisation process needed for this type of advertising?

https://en-gb.facebook.com/business/help/208949576...

If not the content will just get rejected.

StevieBee

Original Poster:

13,578 posts

262 months

Tuesday 19th September 2023
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Thanks for that. Pretty certain they would not have seen this!

MattsCar

1,262 posts

112 months

Wednesday 20th September 2023
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It is an absolute shambles.

Everything is done entirely by bots, from the initial review of the adverts to the appeals process, once rejected.

Even if you read the rules regarding content, in detail and abide by them, you will still find yourself in trouble.

E.g..."ideal to HANG on your wall"...the bots think you are promoting suicide.

"Guinea PIGS for sale"...the bots think you are promoting hate against law enforcement.

It really is that daft.

Also be warned that multiple rejection of adverts will mean your ads manager account will be banned forever, like myself.

It took me weeks through a very iffy process to speak to an actual human being to ask why this happened and I was told "we can't tell you", which was very useful.

Saweep

6,629 posts

193 months

Thursday 21st September 2023
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MattsCar said:
It is an absolute shambles.

Everything is done entirely by bots, from the initial review of the adverts to the appeals process, once rejected.

Even if you read the rules regarding content, in detail and abide by them, you will still find yourself in trouble.

E.g..."ideal to HANG on your wall"...the bots think you are promoting suicide.

"Guinea PIGS for sale"...the bots think you are promoting hate against law enforcement.

It really is that daft.

Also be warned that multiple rejection of adverts will mean your ads manager account will be banned forever, like myself.

It took me weeks through a very iffy process to speak to an actual human being to ask why this happened and I was told "we can't tell you", which was very useful.
I know a girl who runs kids sports classes.

She tried to run an advert with a picture of some kids playing netball.

Banned. Child pornography apparently. No appeals. IP and Computer banned.

Had to go to the ends of the earth to get a new account set up as she just couldn't get to a human to take the one glance that was needed to realise it was in fact a picture of a netball match.

LivLL

11,132 posts

204 months

Thursday 21st September 2023
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In this case it fits right into their social issues, elections and politics field which requires the placer of the ad to be authorised first. OP, can you let us know if this is all good once they've applied?

StevieBee

Original Poster:

13,578 posts

262 months

Thursday 21st September 2023
quotequote all
LivLL said:
In this case it fits right into their social issues, elections and politics field which requires the placer of the ad to be authorised first. OP, can you let us know if this is all good once they've applied?
I will do. I was looking at the link you posted and seem that you're spot on. The campaign was ran from a division called the Violence and Vulnerability Unit, rather than Essex Police and I'm certain that they hadn't set themselves up properly.

PetrolTed

34,443 posts

310 months

Thursday 21st September 2023
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I’ve been on the wrong end of a battle with Meta over issues like this.

It’s absolutely hopeless.

Even if you have an account manager they often can’t tell you what’s going on and they have no powers of escalation. The robots run the show.

Llandudno

2,473 posts

189 months

Tuesday 26th September 2023
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I tried to place some ads for my new website only to find I’m barred from doing so.
The AI process has done it, and I have absolutely no idea why. There is no appeal process and nobody to speak to.
It’s bizarre. I’m spending money with Google I know would work better on Facebook.