Facebook Temporarily Suspends Preferred Marketing Developer Applications, Refocuses On Paid Media
Facebook is reworking its Preferred Marketing Developers program, suspending applications for “the next few weeks” while the system is rejiggered to focus on advertisers and agencies that purchase paid media on the social network.
Facebook is reworking its Preferred Marketing Developers program, suspending applications for “the next few weeks” while the system is rejiggered to focus on advertisers and agencies that purchase paid media on the social network.
Business Insider shared an email sent by Facebook to a company that applied for PMD status, which read:
Dear applicant: We would like to thank you for applying to our Preferred Marketing Developer program. If you have been in touch with a PMD team representative, please ignore the rest of this email. If you haven’t, we would like to apologize for the delay in our response.
The reason for this delay is that we have been reshaping our PMD badge requirements and application process. Our goal is to make the PMD program and its members even stronger by raising the bar.
This should go live in the next few weeks, and we will let you know via email then.
In the meantime, here are the things you should know to get prepared:
- The new application process will be based on a referral system, so please make sure somebody at Facebook you have worked with is willing to vouch for you.
- The new badge criteria will include a focus on paid media across all four qualifications, so please prepare details on how you have been successfully helping brands develop their presence on Facebook with their paid, owned, and earned media strategy (please note that if you do not buy ads or sponsored stories on behalf of your clients, you will need to show us that you have the ability to pitch a Facebook holistic strategy and influence your clients on media spend).
Once you reapply, please mention in the form that you received this email and we will prioritize your submission.
Best regards, The PMD Team.
UPDATED: A Facebook spokesperson provided the following clarification:
There is no specific requirement that all PMDs run ads. Additionally, we are still badging on all other fronts, including insights, pages, and applications. What we are working on, just as we do for brands and agencies, is ensuring that the PMD ecosystem is comprehensive in its knowledge of the entire Facebook marketing platform versus a smaller subset. The intrinsic link between paid, earned, and owned media on Facebook means that PMDs must have a deep knowledge and understanding across all of those areas to ensure marketer success. Many of the most successful PMDs offer comprehensive Facebook marketing solutions, through creative partnerships with other PMDs or by offering multifaceted tools.
Readers: Is rewarding only companies that spend money on Facebook a wise strategy for the social network?
