The new Internet advertising regulations will be implemented on September 1st. Have you thought about how to deal with it?

On July 8, 2016, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce issued the "Interim Measures for Internet Advertising Management" (hereinafter referred to as the "Interim Measures"), which will officially come into effect the day after tomorrow (September 1).

The "Interim Measures" have been issued for more than a month. Recently, I have seen many platforms implement the "Interim Measures". Many Internet companies have also been looking for relevant lawyers in their circle of friends to interpret the "Interim Measures". It can be seen that companies still attach great importance to the "Interim Measures".

I. Impact of the Measures on Internet Advertising

Advertising is the most basic business model for many Internet companies and the main source of revenue. In the second quarter, advertising and marketing accounted for 86.6% of Weibo's total revenue; Baidu's mobile revenue accounted for 62% of its total revenue in the second quarter; Tencent's online advertising business revenue increased by 60% year-on-year in the second quarter, second only to the cash flow business of games . It can be seen that advertising plays a dominant role in corporate business operations .

Advertisements affect all sectors of the Internet industry, and as relevant departments increase their efforts to regulate laws and regulations and enforce them more strictly, the introduction of the "Interim Measures" will have a deterrent effect on more areas.

The Interim Measures stipulate that when Internet advertising operators publish advertisements, "Internet advertisements should be identifiable and clearly marked with 'advertisement' so that consumers can identify them as advertisements, and the advertisements should be reviewed in accordance with the Advertising Law."

2. Then follow the editor to see what changes have taken place in detail!

1. Social Networks

① Weibo Fans Channel

In the promotional information that appears in Weibo’s “Hot Topics”, “recommendations” have been changed to advertisements. Other promotions such as Weibo Selections, Brand Express, Fans Tong Blog Promotion, App Home, Recommended Videos, and Non-Fan Section of Fans Tiao will all be clearly marked with the word "Advertisement".

However, native advertising copy in information flow recommended based on social relationships ("XXX likes it"), non-native advertising recommendation copy ("Nearly 10,000 users follow it", "Popular apps this week"), fan headlines copy ("Popular"), fan account promotion copy ("People who may be interested"), and fan app promotion copy ("Recommended apps") will not be affected.

▽ Weibo information flow advertising

②Tencent Guangdiantong

"Tencent Guangdiantong" is very similar to "Weibo Fantong", and most of them have changed from "promotion" to "advertisement", such as QQ Optimus Prime, QQ space information flow, WeChat download card, Tencent mobile phone network, etc. have now all been changed to "advertisement". However, for those born in the 1990s who grew up with QQ Space, they have long assumed that these "promotional" messages are advertisements. It is still unclear whether the change in label will have a big impact on them.

▽ QQ space information flow

▽ WeChat download card

③ WeChat Moments

Although WeChat Moments advertising has been developing in a "soft" direction, such as the recent launch of Moments native information flow advertising, the "Interim Measures" stipulate that no matter how "soft" you are, you must have "hard" identification. WeChat has always attached great importance to user experience, but the feelings of "advertising" and "promotion" to users are two different dimensions. How will WeChat advertising be improved in the future and how will the form be innovated? Let’s wait and see!

▽ Moments Ads

Compared with other platforms, the main advantage of online media in advertising is media credibility. After the release of the "Interim Measures", all promotions will be labeled "advertisements". Will this have any impact on the platform's brand? As advertising becomes more recognizable, will its “credibility” be weakened?

①Tencent Zhihui pushes

The "Interim Measures" stipulate that "advertisements published on Internet pages in pop-up or other forms should be prominently marked with a close sign to ensure that they can be closed with one click." The "Tencent Mini Home Page" of Tencent's " Smart Push " has not been changed yet, but "Tencent.com" and "Tencent News Client" have changed.

▽ Tencent News Client

② Sina Support

The word "advertisement" was added to the promotional ads of "Sina Fuyi"'s mobile information flow ads a long time ago, and users have long been accustomed to this form of promotion. Will this, to a certain extent, give "Fuyi"'s ads a certain advantage after the implementation of the "Interim Measures"? However, the "advertising" logo of "Fuyi" is very small, and I wonder if it will change in the future.

▽ Sina Mobile Client

③Today’s Headlines

Like many information flow advertisements, the word "promotion" in Toutiao has also become "advertisement". However, it is worth noting that there is more information such as advertiser’s name, comments, time, etc. under the advertising space of Toutiao, which can increase exposure and interaction to a certain extent and recover some value for advertisers.

▽ Headline News Stream Advertising

The "Interim Measures" affect far more advertisements than these. Labels such as "Shopkeeper's Hot Sale", "HOT", and "Product Selection" on platforms such as Taobao and JD.com are considered advertisements both at the legal level and in terms of the general public's perception, and are now labeled "advertisements". However, e-commerce platforms like these sell things themselves, and it is difficult to browse information on them without the suspicion of advertising. So does it make sense to add "advertisements"?

▽ Taobao promotion ads

In general, the "Interim Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising" will affect many industries. What kind of advertisements can be produced and how will they be displayed? All must comply with the new regulations, which will increase the cost of review and will cause many advertisers to reduce their advertising spend.

In the initial stage of implementation, there will definitely be a running-in period. Internet platforms need to improve their review teams, modify advertising functions, remove illegal advertisements, improve advertising systems, and so on.

But there is no need to be too nervous. In the long run, institutional and regulatory norms will avoid a lot of vicious competition, drive innovation and creativity in the industry, ensure user experience, and allow the industry to develop in a healthy way!