Facebook Exchange
Have you ever searched for a product, service, or organization on google, clicked on the results, and found the same search results pop up on your Facebook feed as ads? Apparently, the ads that Facebook presents to its users have a correlation to the google searches conducted by that user. I remember seeing firsthand evidence that Facebook is somehow accessing my browsing history when I started buying tech products for my project team about a year ago. When I saw my those products randomly showing up on my feed, I became suspicious about Facebook’s intentions with my search history. Why were they catering to my consumer interest? When I searched my inquiry in google, I found that Facebook ads relating to google searches has a been a popular topic of discussion in the media, but I just hadn’t come across it. The system known as Facebook Exchange was launched in 2012 through which advertisers use real time bidding to get their ads in front of the users.
The main intention behind the system is to maintain the relevancy between user search and advertiser campaigns. By bidding for ads that relate to the user’s history, advertisers are creating a specific impression on the user’s mind and allowing them to access information related to their interest. Consequently, advertisers are gaining information on how to run successful campaigns for their companies, so that they don’t waste money on creating misguided ads. It is no surprise that using web searches for advertising has become increasingly popular and lucrative over the past few years. Facebook and Google profit on the revenue of their ads; therefore, there has been an increasing demand for presenting ads that will make the user most happy. By using exchange, marketers are able to expand their reach to 1 billion people globally and bid their ads to be in the front of the users’ feed. The impact that the advertisers have on the consumers is unparallel to any other advertising campaign because the ads are personalized for every user.
The Exchange system is completely controlled by the user which means that they can remove themselves from the system whenever they want to by blocking the cookies on their web browser or clicking the “X” on the featured ads. The system also does not share user data with advertisers allowing the user to maintain some control over their profile. The system is a business deal between Facebook and the advertisers who are trying to bring their companies to the global scope. The real time bidding allows the advertisers to target people to see ads that they are already interested in. Consequently, the chances of the user clicking on that ad increases, and therefore the advertiser achieves its goal of reaching out to the user. Even though Facebook has stated that the effects of this system won’t be very obvious to the user, one can’t help but wonder how closely Facebook is monitoring their browsing history every day.
Source:http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/18/tech/social-media/facebook-ads-web-browsing/