The Apprentice's online promotions stalled as Meta flags Trump biopic for election messaging

A still from The Apprentice

An aggressive online promotional plan was charted out for The Apprentice, leading up to its October 18 release in India. But, with two weeks to go, the marketing team has encountered an unexpected hurdle. The biopic, which sees Sebastian Stan step into the shoes of former US President Donald Trump and also stars Jeremy Strong, has found its promotional campaign under fire after Meta's platforms Facebook and Instagram have blocked all of the film's reels. Reason? It turns out the parent company has stringent policies on content that touches on political themes, and blocks content that it interprets as political advertising or election-related messaging.

Despite Ali Abbasi's directorial venture tracing only Trump's formative years, its association with the Republican nominee for the presidential race has drawn the attention of Meta's AI-powered content detection system. That has made the film's digital promotion tricky. An insider told mid-day, "While we knew The Apprentice would stir conversations, we didn't expect Meta to block the reels entirely."

The source further adds, "Their AI systems seem to flag anything associated with Donald Trump, especially when it's tied to elections, even if the content is unrelated to contemporary politics. It directs us to the policy on election advertising. We keep getting messages stating that these ads don't comply with the platforms' policy. Several accounts are getting deactivated for promoting this film."

Digital platforms have become an integral part of film promotions. With Instagram and Facebook blocking most of The Apprentice's reels, the India marketing team is scrambling to change its strategy. Vishaal Shah, co-founder of a communication consulting firm working in the entertainment space, said that such a blanket blocking hinders them from reaching out to a wide audience. "When platforms restrict the promotion of content centred around Donald Trump in relation to The Apprentice, it hinders the ability to share key narratives about his life and career. Such limitations not only affect marketing strategies, but also deprive audiences of a well-rounded understanding of the topics the film aims to highlight," he stated.

Now, the team will have to resort to traditional methods of advertising to drum up the buzz before the biopic's release. The source adds, "We are now strategising how to navigate this digital blockade. We are exploring other creative alternatives. We are also reaching out to media outlets and entertainment influencers, who may not be bound by such rigid content policies."

Meta's strict stance on content is said to stem from its ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of misinformation during election periods. However, critics argue that these technologies sometimes apply overly broad restrictions, inadvertently censoring content that isn't necessarily political. An employee of Meta India, on condition of anonymity, explained, "Meta's policies surrounding elections have become increasingly cautious after the backlash from the 2016 and 2020 US elections, where the platform was accused of being a breeding ground for disinformation. In an effort to regain trust and control over the content circulating on its platforms, the company has since tightened its guidelines. But if the film's marketing team reaches out to us and explains it, it can be rectified."

mid-day reached out to the US team of Meta, but did not receive an official response.