One of Facebook’s biggest challenges is handling political ads on the platform. Last February 2020, the platform has become the talk of the town after its news ban in Australia. This is because of the Australian government’s proposed Media Bargaining Code. The code seeks to collect a percentage of Facebook’s revenue from news content. Today, Facebook expands controls to switch off political ads.
On 16 June 2020, Facebook launched a voting information center in the US together with control measures on political ads. Users can opt to hide a political ad on their news feed. Or in the ad preference setting, they can either switch off or “see fewer” elections, politics, and social issues content. The expanded political ads control on Facebook is now available in 90 countries. This gives more people around the world to distance themselves from political ads on their news feeds.
Facebook expands controls to switch off political ads as of 04 March 2021.
Implications for Marketers:
Facebook’s expansion to switch off political ads enhances a better interaction among users in the platform. Most Facebook users prefer to be neutral when it comes to political sides. They also lack interest in too much political stuff. For marketers, lesser political ads mean a greater chance of branded content’s visibility on Facebook.
