Ads have officially arrived on Threads, Meta’s X (Twitter) competitor, and it looks like Meta may be angling for an edge in brand safety.
OK, to recap: Mark Zuckerberg has previously said that Meta apps like Instagram and Facebook are easing off on some content moderation, focusing instead on addressing the “truly bad stuff” (e.g., terrorism, child exploitation, porn, etc.). But, let’s be real — that’s a political play given the incoming Trump administration. At the end of the day, Meta is an ad-supported business and brands still want their ads to run next to “quality” content. Zuckerberg knows this.
Why This Matters:
That brings us to yesterday’s announcement, with Meta rolling out ads on Threads in limited tests to start. Here’s what they’ll look like:
Buried in the announcement was also this section:
Yeah, Meta is introducing its own brand safety and suitability filtering on Threads and signaled that third-party verification is on the way. (Every platform has their own safety and suitability filtering, then layer on third-party given advertisers want independent auditing/grading.) These tools will work harder in a more freewheeling content environment but they’re still there and even more necessary now.
Here’s another excerpt from the announcement to also keep in mind:
“Our Monetization Policies also set a foundation for the type of content that can show up next to an ad—for example, content that violates our Community Standards isn’t eligible for ad adjacency. With the introduction of ads, these Monetization Policies will be applicable to Threads.”
Clicking through to the Monetization Policies is revealing. While Meta may now allow more content that might have been blocked in the past, that doesn’t mean that the content can be monetized or have ads placed alongside it.
For instance, according to Meta, content focused on “debated social issues” may face reduced or disabled monetization if the content is presented in a polarizing or inflammatory manner. Topics like race, religion, and political affiliation all fit into this framework. (How can you debate any of these topics on in a way that isn’t “inflammatory” to someone?) So, despite claims that Meta has deprioritized brand safety, the fine print says otherwise.
Experts React:
Here’s what Zuck himself said in late 2023 regarding ads on Threads:
Our Take:
This also positions Threads as a clear contrast to X. While X will very likely bring in more ad dollars this year than last, it continues to struggle with brand safety and suitability. Elon Musk essentially encourages the monetization of “debated social issues,” which inevitably creates challenges for brands who don’t want the drama.
Threads, on the other hand, seems to be aiming for a “safer” ad environment. It might be a quieter, somewhat lamer platform, but for advertisers, boring combined with a lot of scale ain’t bad.
