Understanding Facebook’s Promotion Guidelines

Advit Sahdev is the CEO of ODigMa, an India-based Facebook advertising agency which works closely with Facebook.

In the past few days several major Facebook pages have been taken down due to the violation of the network’s promotion guidelines. These pages include Pizza Hut India, Myntra, Cadbury Bournville, and FCUK India. Why would Facebook do this? Why would they be so strict in ensuring that pages follow promotion guidelines?

Here are some of my thoughts on Facebook’s promotional guidelines which will help you understand the recent event better. It will state the guidelines followed by my explanations.

#1

“Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or an app on a Page Tab.”

So basically you have to use an application to administer a promotion (contest, competition etc). What is the logic behind this?

As a page owner, shouldn’t I be allowed to run promotions on my business page? For example, sending gifts to fans who are celebrating their birthday today or fans who say “yes” to attend an event in my retail outlet today. Right? Wrong.

The purpose of executing promotions via apps is to ensure business owners respect users’ data. This means that the information (from the promotion entries) will not be public, and instead will remain within the application. In the case when Facebook admins ask and/or use information that is not required for the promotion, their applications will be taken down. This policy basically gives the social network a much better monitoring view on the data that the users share.

#2

“Promotions on Facebook must include the following:

• A complete release of Facebook by each entrant or participant.
• Acknowledgment that the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
• Disclosure that the participant is providing information to [disclose recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook.”

This is a pretty simple and logical ‘terms and conditions’ statement. The promotions are being executed by the page admin and Facebook cannot be held responsible for any data or actions that are performed as part of the promotion. Just like an indemnity clause.

#3

“You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.”

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