The detailed warning about targeting exclusions sent to advertisers was an error

Some meta advertisers received a notification yesterday when they opened their accounts. A source from Meta confirmed that this warning was sent in error.

What was announced? The message said that setting new granular targeting exclusions when creating campaigns would no longer be possible after June 28th.

• Existing exclusions will remain in place unless the ad group’s targeting is changed.
• Exclusions based on brand suitability and employment are still allowed at the account level for all campaigns.

However, this warning was a mistake, Meta confirmed to Search Engine Land.

Why it matters to us. Receiving notifications about features that advertisers rely on can be destabilizing. If false alerts like this continue to appear, how should advertisers trust the alerts we see?

Advertiser Concerns. Dario Zannoni, who received this warning, shared the information with his followers:

• “Using targeting exclusions in combination with the other targeting options made it possible to not only exclude interests for brand protection, but also to create well-curated audiences tailored to the specific product or service.”

Search Engine Land contributor Navah Hopkins was also not happy when he heard this was going to happen:

• “I’m pretty devastated by the news that Meta will be removing audience exclusions for all campaigns on June 28, 2024.
• One of the reasons audience exclusion was so effective is because it allowed us to be very specific about who we wanted to target. Beyond the flexibility of “or” and “and” audience statements, they ensured we could really refine our messages.”