Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    • Customer & Digital Experience
    • Digital Transformation
    • Data
    • Marketing Management
    • Marketing Operations
    • Performance Marketing
    • Special Reports
    • All Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Performance Marketing » Facebook Now Asks Why You’re Hiding That Ad, To Better Target Them & Block Offensive Ones

Facebook Now Asks Why You’re Hiding That Ad, To Better Target Them & Block Offensive Ones

Facebook has announced that after users hide ads, it’s going to ask for more details about why — and that will be used to better target those simply aimed at the wrong people, as well as better block ads deemed offensive or spammy to everyone. For years, Facebook has given users to ability to hide […]

Martin Beck on September 11, 2014 at 4:51 pm | Reading time: 3 minutes

facebook-advertising-ss-1920

Facebook has announced that after users hide ads, it’s going to ask for more details about why — and that will be used to better target those simply aimed at the wrong people, as well as better block ads deemed offensive or spammy to everyone.

For years, Facebook has given users to ability to hide ads they don’t want to see and Facebook has used those “hides” as a signal that other people might not want to see those ads either. Now, Facebook says, it will take into account the specific reason people give for hiding an ad. Also, Facebook will pay more attention to hiding feedback initiated by people who don’t often hide ads, treating those signals as stronger.

In a blog post, Facebook product manager Max Eulenstein explained that an ad hidden because a user says it isn’t relevant tells Facebook that it needs to improve its targeting. Whereas an ad hidden because it’s reported to be offensive or inappropriate is a signal that others might feel the same way. That distinction, Eulenstein wrote, is helping Facebook refine the News Feed more effectively:

When testing this update, we looked at when people told us that ads were offensive or inappropriate and stopped showing those ads. As a result, we saw a significant decrease in the number of ads people reported as offensive or inappropriate. This means we were able to take signals from a small number of people on a small number of particularly bad ads to improve the ads everyone sees on Facebook.

Here’s how the process looks from the user perspective:

facebook-ads-hiding

Now, when a user hides an ad, she is presented with this dialog box:

facebook-ad-hiding

And if she clicks through, this:
facebook-ad-hiding2

The second part of the update is more subtle. Call it the non-squeaky wheel factor. Facebook says it will pay more attention to hiding behavior of a small group of people who share feedback less often than others.

During testing of the update, such people hid ads even less frequently than usual — 30% fewer ads. “If someone hides things very rarely, we’ll consider that when we choose what to show them,” Eulenstein wrote. “If we think there is even a small chance they might hide an ad, we won’t show it to them. This affects the type of ads we show everyone, but has a bigger impact for people who don’t often hide ads.”

What Does It Mean For Advertisers?

Facebook says the majority of advertisers won’t see any change:

These updates are designed to affect the ads that a small set of people give us negative feedback on, and allow us to show people ads that we think are most relevant for them, and make sure advertisers are getting their messages in front of the right people.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


New on MarTech

    Google favors helpful content over search engine-first in new update
    PGA TOUR transforms fan experience, analytics and customer feedback
    Work in Progress Limits: Getting started with the Agile Marketing Navigator
    Amazon decision to use Nielsen is big boost for beleaguered rating service
    TransUnion partners with Canvas Worldwide to boost omnichannel CX

About The Author

Martin Beck
Martin Beck was Third Door Media's Social Media Reporter from March 2014 through December 2015.

Related Topics

Performance Marketing

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS The MarTech Conference logo.

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Training Now: Master Classes

Start Discovering Now: Spring



The SMX Conference logo.

Start Training Now:: SMX Advanced

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes

Webinars

Tracking Growth From Organic Search

Beyond the Buzzword: Transform Digitally to Drive Organic & SEO Growth

Leap or Linger: Determining Which Ad Platforms to Test for Your B2B Brand

See More Webinars
Intelligence Reports

Enterprise Marketing Performance Management Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Customer Journey Orchestration Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Account-Based Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports
Featured White Paper

The CMO’s Formula To 3x Your Digital Marketing Campaign Results

See More Whitepapers
Search Our Site

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.