The question is how dirty is the data because we all know it ain’t pristine.
much of the structured data that makes up Graph Search is just that: totally irrelevant and dirty.
via Graph Search’s False Promise and the Con of the Facebook “Like” – steve’s blog.
Many startups exist because they simply make Facebook data more useful. The simple formula is taking your social graph data and presenting it in a new UI such as a map, images, pinterest syle format, etc.
Graph Search is step one in building the foundations so that users can do this without leaving Facebook. Does that mean this will accelerate the demise of all the startups I mentioned above? I don’t know– that’s a timing question.
The current product as it is leaves a lot to be desired, but the vision and mission the Graph Search team (making users’ social graph data more useful) is really a no-brainer and it’s not hype to me when I hear Zuck is calling this one of the important pillars of Facebook.
Facebook Is No Longer Flat: On Graph Search | John Battelle’s Search BlogJohn Battelle’s Search Blog.
The major problem for both Facebook and its potential partners, sources said, is concern that Facebook isn’t ready to deliver ads on external sites that produce significant value for either the network or its partners.
That has heavy implications on how much they can leverage their data.
Facebook falls in line and plays the ad sales game:
Facebook has tried to reposition itself as more attuned to advertisers’ specific needs. Over the past 12 months, it reorganized its marketing team around industries, such as retail and automotive. And in September, Facebook began pushing staff to begin their approaches to advertisers with questions about their needs, instead of making a generic sales pitch.
“I tell them, ‘Don’t walk in with a PowerPoint talking about Facebook products.’ You go in and ask questions,” said Carolyn Everson, Facebook’s vice president of global marketing, whose group oversees 1,500 brands.
And scale and guarantees still matter to advertisers:
[Walmart] wanted assurance that ads would reach enough shoppers to drive in-store sales. Mr. Creekmore got the green light for an ad package guaranteeing the delivery of 50 million mobile ads.
via Facebook Future Rests on Lessons From Wal-Mart Mobile-Ad Campaign – WSJ.com.
“Mobile will evolve from being a completely siloed marketing channel to becoming a more integral part of cross-platform campaigns. via 2013 Predictions: Gokul Rajaram, Facebook’s Ad Architect.
I’ve said I’m a big believer in multi-screen as one of the upcoming trends in digital advertising. Part of this is because multi-screen is the default option for desktop incumblents. It’s interesting to see that Facebook is embracing this concept of multi-screen but they are in a unique position to really benefit from it because their logged in experience gives them a big advantage since they’ll be able to track their users across desktop, mobile, and tablet.
Facebook shifting more resources into advertising. For anyone who doubts Zuck’s commitment to monetization:
“We want to create advertising tools that help businesses use our platform effectively, while ensuring that advertising is complimentary to the Facebook experience for users.”
While this is just one campaign, it showed that 87% of conversions came from impressions, not clicks. SocialCode’s CEO Laura O’Shaughnessy tells me that without View Tags, “we were missing the largest segment of those acting” on the offer. via First Details On Facebook’s “View Tags” Cookie Ad Tracking That Shows Sales From Impressions | TechCrunch.
You have to have something that’s in high demand if you want to pull this stuff with brand advertisers and agencies:
“They don’t let you audit,” said one client. “It’s a little bit suspect. A bit of a conflict of interest. … You have to trust Facebook’s numbers.” (via What Facebook’s Biggest Advertisers Say About ‘Invalid Clicks’ – Business Insider.)
Some latest FBX stats:
AppNexus is quickly ramping up on the Facebook Exchange, where it is one of approximately 15 real-time bidding partners. It now has exposure to 7 billion daily impressions on FBX, up from zero in July — a large and important new inventory source. (via The Size Of FBX, Facebook’s Ad Exchange – Business Insider.)
