Still from Facebook’s new advertising campaign, “Good Ideas Deserve to be Found.”
Facebook continues its public protection of personalized advertising with a new advertising campaign called “Good Ideas Deserve to be Found.”
The company says the campaign aims to “help people understand how the personalized ads they see help them find new things they love, and support them. for businesses in their community. “It will appear on TV, radio and digital platforms starting Thursday.
Facebook officials said the campaign aims to support small businesses struggling with the pandemic.
But Facebook has another reason: Apple is making a change to the iPhone that is expected to cost the mobile advertising segment, making it harder for advertisers to target ads on mobile phones and monitor their performance. The change will essentially give users a privacy option of their advertising ID, or “IDFA,” which was previously buried deep in users ’phones and placed in front and center when they open an app. The change is expected to hurt Facebook’s business as soon as this quarter, the company warned in a recent earnings report.
Facebook officials have been publicly rejecting Apple’s change for months. Facebook even launched a print advertising campaign at the end of last year arguing that the change will hurt small businesses, and suggesting that online content makers need to turn to memberships to generate revenue. lose advertising, forcing consumers to pay for what was once free.
When Apple ‘s changes take effect in early spring, Facebook will begin to feature incentives to encourage users to share their information. The company began conducting tests last month, which claims that Facebook is using that information to “provide a better advertising experience.”
The new advertising campaign is designed in part to encourage consumers to say “yes” immediately.
Facebook marketing chief Andrew Stirk said the company’s research finds that 47% of small businesses fear they won’t last the next six months, or are unsure how long they stayed away because the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent locks have destroyed everything from retailers to restaurants.
But he said Apple’s changes “add a bit of urgency to this,” he said.
“The aim is to help people understand the role of personalized advertising for small businesses, for their potential to grow and prosper, as well as their role in helping to find ideas that might be there if they weren’t otherwise, “he told CNBC in an interview this week.
What the new initiative involves
The campaign will run for 12 weeks on and off the Facebook platforms. It features TV spots produced by the group Droga5, directed by David Wilson and heard by Grace Jones. They feature real businesses and incorporate the phrase, “And yet for all the great ideas that have become famous, there are so many more that have never found their reputation. . “
The TV spots end with the text “Good ideas deserve to be found. Personalized ads help you find them.”
“We want to make sure that [small businesses] aware of the tools we provide, and make that experience as positive as possible, “Stirk said.” And then for consumers, we want to drive awareness of where space is. personalized ads play for small businesses and the ability to find ideas. ”
The company said it was providing more information on how personalized ads would work on indexes on Facebook and Instagram, and that ads for the campaign would drive to those hubs. . On Facebook, businesses will be able to post with the hashtag #DeserveToBeFound, and on Instagram there will be a sticker with similar text.
Facebook said it is also trying to make it easier for small businesses to start marketing. The company is imposing special fees for businesses that use Facebook’s online shopping platform at least through June of this year, and for paid events through at least August.
Annette Njau, who owns the House of Takura lifestyle logo, joined the campaign, along with Facebook officials on an information call. She said personalized advertising in its current form is helping her advertise as a larger company, but she fears Apple ‘s IDFA change will affect that.
“I’m not Louis Vuitton, or Chanel right now … We just can’t throw money away,” she said. “So what Facebook did with ads, it affected the playing field for us.”