Paid media provides unprecedented audience targeting capabilities. But for Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs), understanding Special Ad Categories introduced by platforms like Facebook and Google is essential. These regulations not only safeguard consumer interests but also challenge marketers to innovate and remain effective within stringent boundaries.
Special Ad Categories emerged as a response to growing concerns about discriminatory practices in digital advertising. During the late 2010s, platforms like Facebook and Google faced scrutiny from regulators, advocacy groups, and watchdog organizations for enabling ads that excluded certain demographics, often unintentionally.
For instance, housing ads were shown to bypass specific ethnic groups or zip codes, while job postings targeted specific ages or genders, excluding large portions of the population. Similarly, financial services ads often reached only high-income audiences, limiting access for those who might benefit the most. In response, governments, particularly in the U.S., invoked laws like the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to address these issues.
The result was the introduction of Special Ad Categories by platforms like Facebook (2019) and Google, enforcing stricter rules on how sensitive ads could be created and targeted. These policies aim to foster fairness, reduce discrimination, and ensure compliance with ethical advertising standards. However, they also pose challenges for marketers seeking precision and efficiency in their campaigns.
Special Ad Categories are classifications for ads that deal with sensitive topics, such as housing, employment, and credit, which are prone to misuse. Ads in these categories must adhere to specific targeting and content restrictions to ensure they don’t discriminate against or unfairly exclude any group.
Common categories include:
These categories require advertisers to declare their ad type during setup, which triggers unique restrictions on audience targeting, content review, and transparency requirements.
Platforms like Facebook and Google enforce these rules differently but share common themes in their approach.
On Facebook, advertisers must self-identify if their ads belong to a Special Ad Category. This declaration activates restrictions, such as:
Similarly, Google limits ad targeting for housing, employment, and credit categories. For example, these ads cannot target specific demographics or income levels. Google also requires verification for certain sensitive categories, like political ads, to ensure accountability and compliance.
The introduction of Special Ad Categories has significantly altered the way marketers engage with their audiences. While the rules promote fairness and inclusivity, they also present unique challenges for CMOs.
One significant challenge is the loss of precision targeting. For instance, housing advertisers can no longer zero in on high-income households in specific neighborhoods, making campaigns broader and potentially less efficient. This lack of precision often results in higher ad costs as impressions are delivered to less relevant audiences. Additionally, marketers must navigate creative constraints, ensuring their ads meet compliance standards and avoid being flagged for review.
However, these restrictions also encourage innovation. They push CMOs to focus on creating inclusive campaigns that appeal to diverse audiences. By embracing these challenges, brands have an opportunity to build trust, credibility, and loyalty.
Despite the challenges, CMOs can thrive in this regulated environment by adopting innovative strategies.
Authentic Storytelling: One of the most effective ways to navigate these restrictions is through authentic storytelling. Platforms like Props have shown how creator-driven, non-branded content can bypass targeting limitations while building trust and engagement. By leveraging creators’ genuine narratives, brands can connect with audiences on a personal level without triggering regulatory constraints.
Leverage Owned Media: Redirecting traffic from ads to owned platforms, such as blogs or branded websites, allows marketers to control the customer journey. This approach ensures that brands can continue to engage audiences effectively, even within the limitations of Special Ad Categories.
Prioritize Compliance and Transparency: Investing in compliance tools like Props' AI-driven brand safety platform, Ollie, can help CMOs proactively monitor ad content and avoid regulatory pitfalls. These tools ensure that campaigns align with legal standards while maintaining brand integrity.
Focus on Attribution: Accurate attribution models are critical in regulated environments. Props’ 7-day click-only attribution model, for example, provides clarity by tracking meaningful user actions rather than relying on inflated view-based metrics. This approach ensures marketers can confidently measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and report results that resonate with financial stakeholders.
Special Ad Categories may appear as roadblocks to traditional digital advertising strategies, but they represent an opportunity for CMOs to innovate and lead with responsibility. By focusing on authentic, inclusive storytelling and leveraging alternative marketing strategies, brands can not only comply with these regulations but also enhance their reputation in an era where trust and transparency are paramount.
Ultimately, Special Ad Categories challenge marketers to reimagine their approaches and adapt to a more equitable advertising landscape. For CMOs, this means crafting campaigns that not only meet compliance standards but also stand out by delivering value, building trust, and achieving measurable business outcomes.
For regional banks, advertising is fraught with some of the most stringent rules in marketing. Laws such as the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) require specific disclosures in promotions for loans, credit cards, and other financial products. Adding to these legal mandates, platforms like Facebook and Google impose “Special Ad Categories” for financial services, restricting the use of advanced targeting tools like lookalike audiences or detailed demographic segmentation.
The impact is clear: compliance-heavy messaging disrupts engagement, creativity is stifled, and marketing costs rise as cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-lead (CPL) escalate. For many regional banks, this combination of constraints makes reaching their ideal customers a frustrating and costly endeavor.
Props offers a transformative way for regional banks to overcome these challenges through a unique combination of creator-driven storytelling, strategic paid media promotion, and robust compliance solutions. Instead of promoting financial products directly, Props shifts the focus to authentic, lifestyle-oriented stories that resonate with audiences and inspire them.
These stories are published on the bank’s website (or a special landing page) and, critically, promoted through the creators’ social media handles. Publishing lifestyle content through creators’ handles bypasses the restrictions of “Special Ad Categories,” drives more engagement and click-throughs, and unlocks advanced targeting options. This allows banks to connect with high-intent audiences more effectively while reducing costs.
For example, rather than running a traditional ad for a home equity line of credit (HELOC), Props might collaborate with a creator to share a story about how homeowners can fund renovations—building trust and engagement without triggering compliance-heavy disclosures.
One of Props’ greatest advantages lies in its ability to sidestep disclosure requirements by avoiding direct product claims. Instead of advertisements laden with legal disclaimers, Props content centers on engaging narratives that educate and inspire. These stories provide value to audiences without overwhelming them, creating a cleaner, more effective path to engagement.
A creator might share how they used home equity to remodel their kitchen, illustrating a real-life application of financial tools while staying free from the burdens of compliance-heavy messaging. This approach not only eliminates the need for complex disclosures but also keeps content relatable and audience-focused, fostering trust and credibility.
Audiences are more likely to trust people over brands, and Props ensures this trust by selecting creators based on their expertise and storytelling ability, not their follower count. Creators are chosen for their ability to craft genuine, relatable narratives that resonate with specific audience segments.
Whether it’s a business owner sharing entrepreneurial insights or a parent discussing family finances, Props focuses on the quality of the story rather than the creator’s popularity. By publishing these stories directly on the client’s website, Props ensures that the bank owns the engagement and benefits from first-party data collection. Paid media promotion guarantees that these stories reach the most relevant audience with precision and scale.
Brand safety is paramount for financial institutions. Strict regulatory standards and a heightened need to maintain trust often prevent banks from collaborating with creators. Recognizing these challenges, Props developed Ollie—a proprietary AI-driven brand safety tool that ensures campaigns remain compliant, transparent, and aligned with institutional values.
Ollie reviews years of creator content history, continuously monitors posts in real-time, and flags potential risks using advanced AI. Its capabilities include detecting if a financial offer is being made or if financial advice is being given—two critical triggers that can complicate compliance for creators in regulated industries. By categorizing flagged content as low, medium, or high risk, Ollie empowers banks to avoid pitfalls while enabling creators to craft compelling yet compliant narratives.
This innovative approach ensures banks can confidently embrace creator storytelling, knowing that campaigns will uphold their values and meet regulatory standards. By bridging the gap between brand safety and creative freedom, Ollie empowers financial advertisers to connect authentically with audiences while navigating one of the most regulated industries in marketing.
Props has consistently delivered impressive results for its financial clients across consumer banking, mortgage lending, credit cards, secure cards, life insurance, auto insurance, and wealth management. Props takes responsibility for delivering actual, measurable business outcomes—a key reason for its rapid growth.
For regional bank CMOs, Props offers an unparalleled opportunity to navigate advertising regulations while driving measurable results. By avoiding restrictive ad categories and using creator-led storytelling, Props enables access to advanced audience targeting tools that improve reach and engagement.
Its compliance-friendly strategies reduce advertising costs and create cleaner, more effective campaigns. With Ollie’s oversight, banks can run creative campaigns confidently, knowing that regulatory standards are being met. Props’ focus on authenticity builds trust with audiences, while its full-funnel strategy ensures seamless progression from awareness to conversion.
By leveraging paid media through creators’ handles, Props ensures that each story achieves both the reach and relevance needed to deliver measurable results. For CMOs seeking to transform their marketing strategy and connect authentically with their audience, Props offers a proven path to sustainable growth and success.