Mele’s Musings

New Facebook Ads Help Connect Users with Advertisers

Is the answer interaction or data?

Picture: images.ientrymall.com

Article excerpt:  In its mission to make the world more connected, Facebook is helping its users connect more with its advertisers. The social networking site has begun testing a handful of new ad formats allowing users to interact with their Facebook friends within the ads themselves. The offerings are indicative of the ongoing challenge social sites are facing when it comes to monetizing the hordes of users and pages they generate. The firm is also unveiling new types of reporting to help advertisers recognize the value of being in front of its audience, beyond simple impressions and clicks.  Adidas, General Mills-owned Betty Crocker, and the new DreamWorks Pictures comedy, “Tropic Thunder” are among the first advertisers to try Facebook’s new “engagement” ads. Users who saw ads for the goofball war flick, for instance, were able to view the trailer and post comments without leaving the page they were on.
The rest: clickz.com

Musing:   I am of the mindset that interaction will be the big next phase of advertising, and be more meaningful than data based on user actions – so I agree with Facebook over MySpace.  Data based on past activities, particularly on something as broad as internet activity, is just too varied to offer highly meaningful data.  Once users start commenting, passing along ads, and voting on them, you get real data about what they want and what they think, and they will respond more positively to advertising.  Curious to hear your thoughts.