Facebook Allows Face Mask Ads
When the Coronavirus pandemic first reached the United States, it brought mass amounts of panic-buying, accompanied by those who took advantage of the hysteria and bought huge quantities of products to sell at an inflated price. There were nation-wide shortages of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and face masks as everyone prepared to hunker down and protect themselves from contracting COVID-19.
In an attempt to curb price-gouging and stop people from exploiting the panic-ridden public, Facebook became one of several powerful companies to announce in early March that they would ban any advertisements or peer-to-peer trading of face masks. The blanket ban was enacted not only to curb those trying to exploit others through fear, but also followed announcements that medical staff and essential workers with high risk of exposure could suffer from a lack of access to necessary face masks.
Fast forward almost exactly three months, and the tech-tycoon has stated that they will partially lift the blanket-ban on the advertising of face masks by allowing the promotion of non-medical grade masks. The ban has been scaled back to allow those selling homemade or handmade masks to advertise their products on Facebook.
With the country opening up and people being allowed to leave their homes and return to work, the average person is now in need of more face masks in order to safely go about their day to day activities.
With lockdown lifting and quarantine seemingly coming to an end, more and more businesses are requiring individuals to wear face masks before entering their premises, and in many places a face mask is required when out in public or using public transportation. Because masks are so heavily recommended in any area where social distancing may be difficult, they have become a staple for Americans everywhere as we attempt to return to a new version of “normal” life.
Facebook announced they would lift the blanket ban to try and make it easier for people to obtain masks, since the nation-wide shortage we experienced just a few months back had made them difficult to find. There has been a massive increase in the number of people and companies creating their own versions of reusable face masks.
As long as they do not claim to have any unfounded medical benefits or they are not medical grade, these companies can now advertise through the Facebook platform. The implicated guidelines mostly apply to the sale of reusable cloth masks. Surgical or respiratory masks (such as the 3M N95 Mask) are still under the ban and cannot be advertised.
A Facebook representative stated that they have been training their automated systems to distinguish between surgical and non-surgical masks, as well as to recognize when an advertisement contains any content promoting unfounded health claims.
There are also some additional restrictions imposed. Companies must be in good standing and have accumulated a minimum of fourth months advertising history on Facebook. Furthermore, to reduce exploitative behavior, masks cannot be advertised using medical verbiage or claim to specifically protect from COVID-19.
Hopefully, this move is part of a trend back towards normalcy!
For help with social media marketing, get in touch with the Facebook advertising specialists at Rizzo Young Marketing LLC.