Reddit has announced new options for greater advertiser control over where their ads show, in concert with their objectives and targeting goals. Rolling out today in ad accounts, Inventory Types give advertisers three levels to choose from.
The announcement comes on the heels of a bumpy year for content standards on other platforms. Others like Facebook and YouTube publicly struggled with Covid misinformation spread, and how to handle inaccurate statements by public figures.
“Brand Safety has become a broader and more ubiquitous issue in recent months, and with good reason. With the sheer volume of content that appears across UGC platforms, it’s understandable that some advertisers desire enhanced control, while others are more comfortable with this environment.” – Reddit Chief Operating Officer, Jen Wong
Inventory Type Testing
More than 30 partners tested the new Inventory Type feature, spanning industries from QSR to financial, health, gaming, and CPG.
This also includes agency partners, who have welcomed the option as a way to still take advantage of Reddit’s large and engaged users but with less perceived risk.
“We are encouraged to see Reddit’s ongoing efforts to provide safer and more informed choices to advertisers with Inventory Types. Clients and advertisers alike find value in having more control over how – and where – they effectively reach their audiences, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Reddit to meet these evolving needs.” – Amanda Grant, GroupM Managing Partner
Inventory Type Options
Inventory types are divided into three groups: Expanded, Standard, and Limited.
Expanded: This is the maximum inventory pool, and gives ads the broadest reach of content. This now opens up more than 20% more communities for targeting, but still ensures advertisers are showing in places that meet community standards.
Standard: This is Reddit’s recommended setting. It has less reach than expanded, but more protection in regards to where the ads are shown.
Limited: This has the least reach, but very strict brand protection standards. For extra safety measure, Reddit’s partnered with Oracle Data Cloud’s Contextual Intelligence to give third party verification of safety standards.
“This real-time control over advertising around user-generated content is a first-in-market offering and we are thrilled to be working with Reddit to bring brands greater peace of mind and ultimately, campaign success.” – Chris Stark, Oracle Data Cloud Senior Director of Product Management
Reddit stresses their moderation protocol in both communities and campaigns still applies, no matter which tier an advertiser chooses.
Regardless of the tier, Reddit’s strict platform, community and campaign moderation system is foundational and applies to all Inventory Types. Ads on Reddit can only appear in communities on our hand-curated allowlist, and all advertisers will continue to have the choice to enable or disable comments on their ads, as well as exclude certain keywords and communities based on their individual preferences.
Ad Options in Reddit
Advertisers are still in control of many aspects on the Reddit platform in addition to these newest options. Ads on Reddit appear in communities, or in manually-chosen “allow” lists.
Advertisers can also opt in or out of having comments on their ads, something that tends to cause headaches for advertisers on other platforms like Facebook.
Most social platforms have some form of choice for advertisers in regards to where ads show alongside content, but Reddit’s partnership with Oracle is the first of its kind for third-party verification.
The full Reddit announcement can be found here.
