The Microsoft Audience Network now prohibits gambling, lawsuit, health supplement and end-of-life ads

Microsoft Audience Network’s policies have been updated and no longer allow for advertising lawsuits, end-of-life products and services, health supplements and vitamins and gambling, the company announced Friday.

Here is the list of categories that are no longer allowed on the Microsoft Audience Network as well as on native advertising served on Microsoft-owned and operated properties, like MSN and Outlook:

• Lawsuit advertising and invitations to participate in a lawsuit.
• End-of-life products and services, including but not limited to cremation services, funeral flowers, urns, coffins and obituaries.
• Health supplements and vitamins (however enforcement for supplement and vitamin ads that are currently running on the network will not begin until January).
• Gambling (which is already prohibited on the Microsoft Audience Network but will now also be prohibited on native advertising served on Microsoft-owned and operated properties).

Why we care

Most of these categories are already prohibited on other platforms, so marketers working for brands in these verticals may not be surprised. Nevertheless, those brands are now missing out on another way to reach potential customers, which makes their organic strategy even more important.

Additionally, many platforms have regulated these ad categories in the interest of user safety, which might also improve the user experience on those platforms. It’s only natural that Microsoft would seek to match its ad safety standards and user experience with those of its competitors.