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Facebook plans to offer targeted advertising

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 23-Aug-07, 09:10

LONDON - Facebook is to launch an advertising system that will allow marketers to target users with ads based on the large amounts of information people freely provide about themselves on the site.

The US-based social-networking website hopes to eventually produce a system that predicts what products and services users might be interested in, even before they have specifically mentioned an interest, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The company reportedly aims to accomplish what Google did with AdWords, which allows anyone to place ads next to search results by buying keywords online.

Facebook's proposed service would let advertisers visit a website to choose a wider variety of characteristics for the users who should see their ads, such as favourite activities and preferred music. However, advertisers would not be able to access personal information about the Facebook users.

These ads would appear on the "news feed" of each user's page and not as on banner ads and boxed flyers that appear on the borders of the site at present.

Although plans are at an early stage, Facebook plans to unveil a basic version of the new service later this year, which could be a major hit with advertisers.

Earlier this month, UK advertisers including Vodafone, First Direct and the Central Office of Information pulled their ads from Facebook after they were placed on the British National Party's profile page.

Facebook subsequently designed a blocking feature that allows advertisers to opt out of parts of the site.

UK advertisers can now avoid appearing next to listings for the estimated 6m user groups on Facebook. The move has been backed by ISBA, the voice of British advertisers.

The blocking feature, which will be offered to international advertisers at a later date, was a swift response to market concerns about buying space on social networking websites "blind" through media buying agencies.

Comments

Dean Donaldson - 23/08/2007

I have a very strong comment - NO!!! Ask me first - Full response here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4803277827

adrian whittaker - 23/08/2007

definitely not. advertisers can f**k off, im on there to doss around with my mates!

Will Callaghan - 23/08/2007

FB is an ad funded service so you've got to expect some intrusion. Selling against personal data feels dodgy but a) you've probably already agreed to it by signing up and b) if it delivers ads that you're actually interested in then it's a win for everyone.

James Robertson - 23/08/2007

Will, nobody is interested in ads.

Sara Chapman - 25/08/2007

the problem is that loads of people signed up to facebook when it was only open to uni students and now it's totally different. and at the moment it you'd have to spend every week checking what exactly you'd agreed to as they keep changing their minds about what their going to do. some direction is needed me thinks!

alex parr - 28/08/2007

facebook's selling point to me originally was its simplicity and uncluttered design. since they've introduced open applications i find my news pages full of crap that i don't want. i have endless poke's that i can't be bothered sorting through and countless invitations to 'bite my mates' etc. if advertising gets added then i'll probably begin to lose interest in the site. which is a shame as it does offer something usefull.

Peter Petrelli - 28/08/2007

here here. having said that, when you go to someones profile and reduce appliations you dont want to see it does remember that and any other profiles you go on that application will remain closed. why would anyone want all that zombie, pirate, superpoke, funwall shit anyway? viva myspace (retro)

Gordon Macmillan - 28/08/2007

You can of course simply turn off the notifications...

daniel bradley - 11/09/2007

facebooks appeal lay in its immediacy and refreshing lack of commerce...it really was a social utility, not a commercial utility. notice the use of past tense. thats what will happen if it becomes too blatant in selling out its users. they will move on. scatter and fragment. many of the more recent joiners are already jaded about the value/cost equation of networking sites.