Home Documentation: Background of Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign, and KNAF interaction with Twitter

Documentation: Background of Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign, and KNAF interaction with Twitter

By Jon Sutz

Summary

  • On March 29, 2022, the Kenneth & Nira Abramowitz Foundation (“KNAF”) bought its first promotional campaign from Twitter, for the purpose of promoting its new “Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign,” and specifically, this Tweet. The centerpiece of the campaign was this 3-minute video overview, which describes our mission to raise money to rescue two families of US allies who were left behind in Afghanistan.
  • The promotion Twitter sold us was for an initial period of five days, during which it said, in writing, that it should reach between 5,600 and 14,400 impressions per day, meaning, the number of users who would see it. Assuming the KNAF saw donations starting to come in via this investment, we would have likely continued the promotion.
  • On April 1, 2022 — three days into the promotion — Twitter confirmed that it was running, but it had only received 28 total impressions.
  • On April 1, 2022, the KNAF reached out to Twitter via its promotions help function, and was told that the promotion was not running, because after a manual reviewed of our campaign, it determined our content “violates our Inappropriate Content policy.” Twitter did not, however, explain why our content violates its policy; instead, it said:

“Some examples of content that violate this policy include, but are not limited to: Inflammatory or demeaning content; Misleading or misrepresentative content; Dangerous or violent content; Sale of hand sanitizer using or referring to COVID-19 / coronavirus terms, and said if we “remove the violating content, please respond and we will re-review your account.”

  • Twitter offered to manually re-review its decision, which the KNAF requested it to do. The result was the same: Twitter asserted, in writing, that our campaign content was in violation of its “Inappropriate Content policy” — but would not tell us what content was in violation, so we could fix it.
  • The KNAF wrote back and asked Twitter what specific part/s of its content violated any of its policies. Twitter responded by sending the same email it had earlier, about its decision, with some examples of generic content that violates its “Inappropriate Content policy.”
  • The remainder of this page contains the physical evidence of all the above, in PDFs and screencaps, of all our correspondence with Twitter, and our promotion-buying process.

Contents

(1) Background: I independently created the conceptual framework for the Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign, and was hired by the Abramowitz Foundation to develop and promote it

(2) The KNAF was unable to retain a social media professional for an initial, short-term contract to promote the Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign, so I offered to learn to buy a Twitter promotion campaign to get it started

(3) March 27, 2022: KNAF published the Tweet we wanted to promote

(4) March 29, 2022: KNAF purchased an initial $250 5-day promotions campaign, and Twitter claimed we should receive between 5,600 – 14,400 impressions per day

(5) April 1, 2022: Twitter’s dashboard showed our promotion was running – but we had virtually zero impressions

(6) EMAIL 1: Twitter email to KNAF: Its response to KNAF initiating complaint as to why our campaign was getting virtually no impressions

(7) EMAIL 2: KNAF reply to TWITTER email 1: We request info on why our campaign is getting practically no impressions, as contrasted to what was estimated, and to request a human response

(8) EMAIL 3: TWITTER reply to KNAF; Ads are halted because content violates policies – but doesn’t say what, or how

(9) EMAIL 4: TWITTER replies to KNAF filing support ticket to demand specific information on how our content violated its policy

(10) EMAIL 5: KNAF replies to TWITTER, demanding to know what policy our content violates, so we can correct it

(11) EMAIL 6: TWITTER replies to KNAF: It claimed it manually reviewed our ad campaign determined it violated its “Inappropriate Content Policy” – but didn’t say how

(12) EMAIL 7: KNAF reply to Twitter email: We requested info on how we violated policy, so we can comply

(13) EMAIL 8: Twitter reply email: Repeat of Email 6

(14) EMAIL 9: KNAF reply to TWITTER: We repeated our request for info on how we violated policy, so we can comply

(15) Twitter reply email to KNAF: Repeat of Email 6

(1) Background: I independently created the conceptual framework for the Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign, and was hired by the Abramowitz Foundation to develop and promote it

I am a multimedia designer, writer, creative consultant and strategist. Learn about my work and background at JonSutz.com. I was also the consulting editor and videographer for SaveTheWest.com, the site begun by Kenneth Abramowitz, for eight years.

In early 2022, I developed the conceptual framework for the Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign (“AARC”), pitched it to several foundations, and was hired by the Kenneth & Nira Abramowitz Foundation (“KNAF”) , a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit, to develop it. Learn about the KNAF here.

The first part of my work focused on developing the essential messaging framework, and the visual brand identity, which resulted in this page:

Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign – The Kenneth & Nira Abramowitz Foundation

I then summarized it into this press release:

Abramowitz Foundation seeks to raise $125,000 for emergency “Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign”

Finally, I wrote, designed, produced and narrated this 3-minute promotional video for the campaign, which went live on March 27, 2022:

(2) The KNAF was unable to retain a social media professional for an initial, short-term contract to promote the Afghan Ally Rescue Campaign, so I offered to learn to buy a Twitter promotion campaign to get it started

There were two obstacles to securing the services of such a professional:

(1) We did not know such professionals, and those we met were not interested in a short (two week) contract.

(2) This was occurring at the same time as Russia invaded Ukraine

As a result of these obstacles, I suggested to Ken that if we were unable to find such a professional by March 25, in order to get the process started, I would learn how to buy promotional campaigns on Twitter and Facebook, and act as the KNAF’s representative.

All activities and email exchanges from this point on were conducted by me, on behalf of the KNAF.  The reason I screencapped my promotion purchase process from Twitter was to be able to show Ken what options were available to me, and which I chose, to get this campaign going. I had no idea that these screencaps would be vital in proving what Twitter promised us – versus what was delivered.

(3) March 27, 2022: KNAF published the Tweet we wanted to promote

(4) March 29, 2022: KNAF purchased an initial $250 5-day promotions campaign, and Twitter claimed we should receive between 5,600 – 14,400 impressions per day

Organically, our Tweet only reached ten impressions by March 29. We opted to “Switch to professional,” which enabled us to buy a promotion for it:

After picking out a general demographic within the US to target, here Twitter claimed our promotion should reach an estimated 5,600 – 14,400 impressions per day:

And here is where we confirmed the campaign purchase, at 1:03pm on March 29, 2022:

(5) April 1, 2022: Twitter’s dashboard showed our promotion was running – but we had virtually zero impressions

We took the following screencaps on April 1, 2022. The first confirmed that our promotion is running:

The second screencap, taken on April 1, also confirmed our promotion is running – but after three days, it had only received 28 impressions. Note that at bottom it confirms: “Your promotion is running,” and that our campaign has “2 days left”:

I then followed a pathway through Twitter Help under Professional Campaigns, and requested information on why our promotion was getting virtually zero results.

(6) EMAIL 1: Twitter email to KNAF: Its response to KNAF initiating complaint as to why our campaign was getting virtually no impressions

PDF HERE.

From: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>
Apr 1, at 4:48 AM
To: Abramowitz Foundation

Hello,

Thank you for writing in, we see you have a question on Campaign Targeting & Performance. Your unique ticket number is: 0260133743.

To save you time, many advertisers can get instant answers to questions on this topic through these articles in our Help Center:

If this has not answered your question, please reply to this case with more detail and we will try to provide more specific guidance. If you do not reply we will go ahead and close your case.

Please be aware that we cannot offer custom support to all queries.

We recommend that you visit our Ads Help Center which has comprehensive resources to answer our most common questions.

Thanks!
Twitter Ads Support

(7) EMAIL 2: KNAF reply to TWITTER email 1: We request info on why our campaign is getting practically no impressions, as contrasted to what was estimated, and to request a human response

JPG HERE.

From: Abramowitz Foundation
Apr 1, 2022, at 4:50 AM
To: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>
To Twitter:
When we purchased this ad campaign ($250), we were told we should expect 5,000-14,000 impressions per day, based on our audience target settings. Instead, we’ve had a total of 18 IMPRESSIONS in 3 DAYS. This is TOTALLY unacceptable. Please explain.
I am expecting a HUMAN response to this.

(8) EMAIL 3: TWITTER reply to KNAF; Ads are halted because content violates policies – but doesn’t say what, or how

PDF HERE.

From: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>
Apr 1, at 11:01 AM
To: Abramowitz Foundation

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

In response to your query, we visited your Ads account and noticed your Ads are halted for violating Twitter policies.Due to this your campaign is not getting impressions.

We are the Ads Specialist team and we don’t have much visibility to policy issues.

To understand more about policy and to resolve it we suggest you raise a support ticket with our policy team.

You can understand more about Twitter Ads policies here.

      • If you think your tweets are wrongly halted, you can raise a dispute by filing a support ticket to our policy team.
      • If the tweets violate the policies, please remove all the tweets that violate the policy and then submit a support ticket and our Policy team will review and unlock your account.

We are the Ads Specialist team and do not have visibility to policy issues, Twitter Ads has a dedicated policy team to help you on this to raise a support ticket.

Please follow the below steps and screengrabs –

1. Visit ads.twitter.com

2. Navigate to the Ads Dashboard of your account and click on Help?

(9) EMAIL 4: TWITTER replies to KNAF filing support ticket to demand specific information on how our content violated its policy

PDF HERE.

From: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>
Apr 1, at 11:30 PM
To: Abramowitz Foundation

Hello,

Thank you for writing in. We see you have a question about a tweet rejected for policy.

When advertisers on Twitter choose to promote their content with Twitter Ads, their content becomes subject to an approval process. The approval process is designed to support the quality and safety of the Twitter Ads platform. This process helps Twitter check that advertisers are complying with our advertising policies, which are available at twitter.com/adspolicy.

When a tweet is disapproved, it is no longer able to participate in the Twitter Ads program. Tweets can be disapproved if they are found to violate the Twitter Ads Policies.

Some common reasons our Users have this issue are:

    • URLs in the tweet are non-functional or feature a landing page that interferes with easy user access.
    • Campaigns that include targeting to ineligible regions. If any ineligible regions are included in the campaign targeting, then the campaign will be paused until those regions are removed.

Please review any notifications you received and the relevant policy pages. You can review the Twitter Ads policies and Terms of Service at the following links:

If your content has been changed or updated please reply to this email and we will carry out a new review for you.

Please be aware that we cannot offer custom support to all queries.

Thanks!
Twitter Ads Support

(10) EMAIL 5: KNAF replies to TWITTER, demanding to know what policy our content violates, so we can correct it

JPG HERE.

From: Abramowitz Foundation
Apr 1, 2022, at 11:51 PM
To: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>

WHAT policy does this ad violate?

All we are trying to do is raise money for a 501c3 in good standing with the IRS, to help rescue US allies’ families that were left behind in Afghanistan.

Do you realize that lives are at stake, as these allies and their families are being hunted by the Taliban, as I write this?

Please advise with the SPECIFIC REASONS WHY this ad was rejected, and what is required to correct it.

(11) EMAIL 6: TWITTER replies to KNAF: It claimed it manually reviewed our ad campaign determined it violated its “Inappropriate Content Policy” – but didn’t say how

PDF HERE.

From: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>
Apr 2, 2022 at 2:41 AM
To: Abramowitz Foundation

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Twitter Ads Support.

Our team manually reviewed your content and confirmed that it violates our Inappropriate Content policy.

Some examples of content that violate this policy include, but are not limited to:

    • Inflammatory or demeaning content
    • Misleading or misrepresentative content
    • Dangerous or violent content
    • Sale of hand sanitizer using or referring to COVID-19 / coronavirus terms

If you remove the violating content, please respond and we will re-review your account.

You can learn more about this policy here.

Thank you,

Twitter Ads Support

(12) EMAIL 7: KNAF reply to Twitter email: We requested info on how we violated policy, so we can comply

JPG HERE.

From: Abramowitz Foundation
Apr 2, 2022 at 11:26 AM
To: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>

You say, “Our team manually reviewed your content and confirmed that it violates our Inappropriate Content policy”. My response is:

1) “Inflammatory or demeaning content” – where? What, specifically, is the “inflammatory or demeaning content” that you are referring to?

2) “Misleading or misrepresentative content” where? What, specifically is the “Misleading or misrepresentative content” in this video?

3) “Dangerous or violent content” – where? If you’re referring to the video of the result of a Taliban massacre of Afghan soldiers, do you know that the provider of that video, Funker530, is a Twitter user, apparently in good standing? https://twitter.com/FunkerActual

I urge you to give specific feedback so that this can be resolved, fast, and the Foundation can help rescue the Afghan allies that were left behind, and are being hunted as we speak, by the Taliban.

(13) EMAIL 8: Twitter reply email: Repeat of Email 6

PDF HERE.

From: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>
Apr 2, at 11:40 AM
To: Abramowitz Foundation

CASE# 0260133743 [ ref:_00DA0K0A8._5004w2N3jqe:ref ]

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Twitter Ads Support.

Our team manually reviewed your content and confirmed that it violates our Inappropriate Content policy.

Some examples of content that violate this policy include, but are not limited to:

    • Inflammatory or demeaning content
    • Misleading or misrepresentative content
    • Dangerous or violent content
    • Sale of hand sanitizer using or referring to COVID-19 / coronavirus terms

If you remove the violating content, please respond and we will re-review your account.

You can learn more about this policy here.

Thank you,

Twitter Ads Support

(14) EMAIL 9: KNAF reply to TWITTER: We repeated our request for info on how we violated policy, so we can comply

PDF HERE.

From: Abramowitz Foundation
Apr 4, 2022, at 8:02 PM
To: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>

I ask again:

WHAT in the post and video violated your policies?

HOW are we supposed to fix it if we don’t know what it is?

(15) Twitter reply email to KNAF: Repeat of Email 6

PDF HERE.

From: Ad Support <ad-support@twitter.com>
Apr 4, 2022, at 10:07 PM
To: Abramowitz Foundation

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Twitter Ads Support.

Our team manually reviewed your content and confirmed that it violates our Inappropriate Content policy.

Some examples of content that violate this policy include, but are not limited to:

    • Inflammatory or demeaning content
    • Misleading or misrepresentative content
    • Dangerous or violent content
    • Sale of hand sanitizer using or referring to COVID-19 / coronavirus terms

If you remove the violating content, please respond and we will re-review your account.

You can learn more about this policy here.

Thank you,

Twitter Ads Support