Facebook has recently started trying to do what Google does fairly well – targeted advertising. When you search for something on Google, you get a list of related items down the side of your search results. Often, though not always, these can be quite useful. It’s certainly a more effective way of advertising than the ‘one-size-fits-all’ banner ads that predate it.
With this in mind, Facebook has taken up this tactic. However, quite how they decide which ads to show you, is something of a mystery. Granted, targeting advertising based on what it sometimes sketchy information is difficult, and some of the ads are appropriate. With others, though, the mind is left boggling at the lack of logic.
A selection of the ads that appeared on my Facebook profile today
“Hair loss prevention” shouts one. Facebook knows how old I am – is hair loss now something that a lot of young professionals are suddenly worrying about? Or is it predicting that the career path I have chosen will lead to rapid balding?
Something on my profile must also scream ‘gambler!’, as I get ad after ad trying to tempt me to play card games or bingo. No matter how many times I use the feedback button to tell them it’s “uninteresting” or “irrellevant”, they keep coming back. Ironically, some of these were accompanied by ads asking if I’m “over £7,000 in debt?”
Perhaps the strangest one of all is the number of people who are listed as ‘In a relationship’ who get bombarded with ads along the lines of ‘meet local singles’ or ‘the secrets of seducing women’. Unless there’s some mysterious ulterior motive for trying to break people up, where on earth is the logic there?
No doubt, with time, and feedback from users, Facebook’s advertising will become more suited to you and your interests. For now though, it seems to be something of a pot luck.
February 7, 2009 at 20:17
I completely agree with your article. They only need to apply simple logic to the information on an individual’s profile and they would be more successful with their advertising. The more successful they are in targeting potential customers, the more money they will make and hence it is in their interests to make it work! Surely they only need to pool the data from an individual’s profile and hey presto!
April 1, 2009 at 21:27
I’d rather not have the feeling of being watched, albeit by a computer bot.