We at Intellemo, support ethical practices and healthy digital advertising. Therefore, we shall always abide by the prohibitions and restrictions laid down by Meta Ads, Google Ads or other platforms.
Prohibited businesses are the ones that are forbidden by any law or authority and hence cannot be advertised.
Restricted businesses can indulge in advertising but will have to comply with all the conditions that have been laid down.
Please note that:
Business | Description |
---|---|
Adult products | Includes any sexual, pornographic content, sex toys, prostitution services etc. |
Black Magic | Includes any miracle cures that can harm a person/property/thing. |
Body Parts | Includes sale of body parts. |
Controversial or sensational content | Includes any kind of sensitive content or imagery |
Counterfeit goods | Goods that are fake or unauthorized replicas. |
Drugs | This also includes prescription drugs, recreational drugs, drug test kits and psychoactive substances. |
Fake ids and documents | Includes any fake government id or documents. |
Fake Follower service | Includes ads promising followers for an amount. |
Financial products and services | Includes any misleading or deceptive. |
Illegal Art Trade | Includes sale of stolen antiquities or any other stolen cultural property. |
Illegal automobile modification products | Includes advertisements for : modified headlights and taillights, radar detectors etc. |
Malware or any hacking material | Includes any computer virus, illegal software, websites, patented property etc. |
Militarised or violence inducing content | Includes representing or supporting violence groups. |
Multilevel marketing and Pyramid schemes | Includes any home-based earning schemes |
Penny Auctions | Includes bidding fee auctions or any similar business model. |
Personal Attributes | Includes using images or content that assert a person’s race, religion, sexual preferences, beliefs, age etc. |
Politics | Includes any political promotions, campaigns or encouragement for any kind of donations to political groups. |
Products that are illegal or unsafe | Includes products from illegal /banned or unsafe businesses like illegal automobile modification products, illegal logging, human trafficking, unsafe supplements etc. |
Surveillance equipment | Includes spy cams and mobile phone trackers |
Third party infringements | Includes any ad that appears to or infringes the rights of any third party |
Tobacco products | Includes cigarettes, tobacco pipes, cigars, rolling papers, hookah or any other tobacco related products |
Weapons | Includes firearms, ammunition, explosives, BB guns, self-defense weapons or any other weapons. |
Adult products
Any adult content and products/services including sex toys, sexual or pornographic content, prostitution services, dirty magazines or anything else that is sexually offensive cannot be advertised.
There should be no nudity involved. Nor should a person be sexualised. An ad that shows a woman in a bikini will be rejected if it’s not relevant.
Ads related to contraception can however be published with the condition that they must be targeted to people over 18 years of age.
Black Magic
Any kind of magic remedies, items with supernatural properties and miracle cures that can harm a person/property/thing are prohibited from advertisements.
Body Parts
You cannot run ads related to sale of body parts or any kind of fluids.
Controversial or sensational content
If you use any imagery or content that is extremely sensitive, sensational or shocking for the audience, your ad won’t be approved by Facebook.
This also includes violence. So, an ad with a gun or where two people are fighting cannot be published.
Counterfeit goods
Sale of counterfeit goods is prohibited. So, you cannot advertise the sale of fake goods or replicas.
If you are trying to imitate a brand and create an impression that you are a legal seller of the brand, you can attract trouble.
Drugs
Any recreational drugs or psychoactive substances cannot be advertised. Sale of cannabidiol or cannabinoid products is prohibited.
You cannot show a drug test kit in an advertisement.
Any hemp products can only be advertised if they do not mess with the compliance regulations.
Prescription drugs without prior permission cannot be promoted. Online pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers can apply for seeking permission to sell prescription drugs. These ads cannot be targeted to people below 18 years.
Moreover, only the United States, Canada and New Zealand can be targeted for promoting prescription drug sales.
Fake ids and documents
If your ad promotes that you can provide fake passports, fake government ids or any such documents, it will immediately be rejected.
Fake Follower services
If your ads show messages like: Get 10000 followers in this amount, these will be banned.
Financial products and services
Any misleading or deceptive practices offered through financial instruments are banned from being advertised. This includes but is not limited to initial coin offerings, binary options and contract or difference trading.
Ads that promote credit cards or insurance products can only be advertised to people who are not minors and must comply with all the regulations.
Any disclosure requirements by Meta must be fulfilled for such advertisements.
Illegal Art Trade
This includes ads that promote sale of stolen antiquities or any other stolen cultural property.
Eg: You cannot show a Buddha statue claiming it was from a museum that was destroyed.
It counts as theft of cultural property.
Illegal Automobile Modification products
Advertising automobile modification products is banned from Facebook.
Examples of these include: modified headlights and taillights, radar detectors, under-body neon lights etc.
Malware or any hacking material
Any computer virus, illegal software, websites, patented property etc. cannot be promoted with imagery or content.
Militarised or violence inducing content
If your ads represent or support any individual/organisation that are associated with violence in any form, your ads would be prohibited.
Multilevel marketing and Pyramid schemes
This includes
Penny Auctions
If people are paying a small fee to bid and the highest bidder gets the item, it is known as a penny auction. These are banned from advertising because these are considered fraudulent or something that is no less than online gambling.
Personal Attributes
Your ads should not directly or indirectly assert personal attributes. This includes using images or content that assert a person’s race, religion, sexual preferences, beliefs, age etc.
Medical conditions, disabilities, voting status or any other vulnerable information should also not be depicted.
Negative self-perception should not be created for selling things like weight loss products etc.
For example: For dental advertising, do not show gross images that make people averse or make them insecure. Show happy transformations and client testimonials.
Politics
Any political promotions and campaigns that can influence decisions cannot be advertised.
Encouragement of donations to political groups is not allowed.
If your ad discourages people from voting, it’ll be banned.
Any premature victory claims cannot be made through ads.
Products that are illegal or unsafe
This includes products from illegal /banned or unsafe businesses like illegal automobile modification products, illegal logging, human trafficking, unsafe supplements etc.
Unsafe supplements include but are not limited to anabolic steroids, chitosan, comfrey, dehydroepiandrosterone, ephedra, and human growth hormones.
Surveillance equipment
Your ad creatives cannot show spy cams, hidden surveillance equipment and mobile phone trackers.
Third party infringements
This prohibition includes any ad that appears to or infringes the rights of any third party.
Tobacco products
Ads cannot promote tobacco or tobacco related products.
Electronic cigarettes, vaporisers, hookah, rolling papers cannot be shown in your ad creatives.
An anti-smoking ad is however allowed.
Weapons
This includes prohibition on advertising firearms, ammunition, explosives, BB guns, self-defense weapons, paintball guns or any other weapons.
Businesses that have to be careful with restrictions and can launch only organic posts and can not run paid advertisements:
Business | Description |
---|---|
Alcohol | Some countries strictly do not allow promotion of alcoholic beverages.The drinking age in some countries is 21. |
Animal and Animal products | Includes sale of endangered animals in the Marketplace. |
Copyrights and trademarks | Ads that are unauthorized to use copyright content or trademarks cannot run on Facebook or Google. |
Cosmetic procedures | Must be targeted to people aged 18 or more. Any drastic change before and after images are not allowed. |
Cryptocurrency | Ads that promote cryptocurrency trading, platforms, swapping, staking etc. will have to go through a complete eligibility criterion. This can include licensing and other requirements. |
Dating | Dating ad guidelines by Facebook and Google must be followed. Prior written permission is required. |
Drug and alcohol treatments | Includes any helplines websites or platforms for addiction treatments. Prior permission is required from Facebook. LegitScript certification is required in case of US advertising. |
Made for kids things/content | A number of ad sets are not available for targeting people below 18 in a number of countries. Kids cannot be targeted based on interests. Businesses can only target people below 18 based on age, location and gender. |
Online gambling, online games, lotteries, and casino | Only certain types of lotteries and online gambling/casino games are allowed on Meta and Google with written permission. People below 18 years of age should not be targeted for such ads. |
Pharmacies and over the counter drugs | Prior permission and certification from LegitScript (in case of USA targeting) is required for online pharmacies. Prescription-only medicine cannot be advertised. Regular posting of covid-19 related health products like face masks, hand sanitizers etc. may attract trouble. |
Subscription services | Subscription terms should be clear and subscription service advertising requirements laid down by the platforms must be fulfilled. Negative options, automatic renewal, free-to-pay conversion billing products are generally not allowed |
Any other restricted business | Any business that risks user safety or leads to exploitation of users. |
Alcohol
Based on the local laws in some countries, alcohol advertisements are restricted.
Also, the drinking age in some countries is 21. So the targeting of audience should be done accordingly.
Animal and Animal Products
Whether or not you can run ads about endangered animals depends upon the purpose of the advertisement.
If the ad is intended for donating animals or rehoming them, it can be done.
However, sale of animals and animal products is not allowed on Marketplace or buy and sell groups.
Copyrights and trademarks
If your ad or landing page contains imagery or content that has copyrighted material or trademarks, it cannot run on Meta and Google.
Cosmetic procedures
Ads that sell weight loss products and services, cosmetic procedures and surgeries, health or herbal supplements must be targeted to people above 18 years of age.
Any drastic before and after images cannot be shown in ads.
For weight loss ads, you cannot show things like measuring tape in your creative.
Cryptocurrency
Ads that promote cryptocurrency trading, platforms, swapping, staking etc. will have to go through a complete eligibility criterion.
This can include licensing and other requirements.
Dating
Dating ad guidelines by Facebook and Google must be followed. There are also certain targeting requirements that need to be taken care of.
Prior written permission is required to run such ads.
Drug and alcohol treatments
This includes any helplines websites or platforms for addiction treatments. Prior permission is required from Facebook.
LegitScript certification is required in case of US advertising.
Rehabilitation center ads are allowed with restrictions.
Made for kids things/content
A number of ad sets are not available for targeting people below 18 in a number of countries. Kids cannot be targeted based on interests. Businesses can only target people below 18 based on age, location and gender.
Online gambling, online games, lotteries, and social casino
Only certain types of lotteries and online gambling/casino games are allowed on Meta and Google with written permission.
People below 18 years of age should not be targeted for social casino ads.
Pharmacies and over the counter drugs
Prior written permission and certification from LegitScript (in case of USA targeting) is required for online pharmacies.
For over-the-counter drugs, local laws, licencing requirements and other guidelines must be adhered to before advertising.
Prescription-only medicine cannot be advertised.
Regular posting of covid-19 related health products like face masks, hand sanitizers etc. may attract trouble.
Subscription services
Subscription terms should be clear and subscription service advertising requirements laid down by the platforms must be fulfilled.
Negative options, automatic renewal, free-to-pay conversion billing products are generally not allowed.
Any other restricted business
Any business that risks user safety or leads to exploitation of users.
What kind of content should not be used in ads?
If you haven’t violated any prohibition or restriction but your ad has still been rejected, check for these mistakes in your ads:
Landing Page mistakes to avoid
Lead forms: Information that cannot be asked in lead forms without prior permission
What do you do if your ads are rejected?Different components of an ad are reviewed before approvals. This includes image, text, video, targeting information, landing page and other information. All these are reviewed with respect to policy violations.
If an ad us rejected because of any of the reasons stated above, you’ll have the following choices:
✓ Submit a new ad
✓ Edit your ad (image, text, ad sets etc.)
✓ Request a review of the rejection decision if you don’t find anything wrong with the ad.
So, have an authentic account, take care of these prohibitions, restrictions and mistakes and never try to evade the review process.
Apart from these violations, we welcome all allowed and acceptable businesses to advertise using the platform. In case if
Apart from these, we welcome all allowed and acceptable businesses to advertise using the platform.
In case if any queries you can reach out to us on Whatsapp or call at +91 7799 740 219