With the re-launch of Facebook's new ad platform Atlas - privacy issues are at the forefront of mobile advertising yet again. It's safe to say that if you are logged into Facebook on your mobile device you have very little privacy from corporations looking to target you based on your online behaviors. Advertisers make the argument that providing you better, more relevant content is in the best interest of all parties. However, it will be curious to see if consumers are put off by a perceived breach of privacy, put less on facebook, and tend to log in less - thus evading the Atlas platform.
The NY Times article below sites PepsiCo using the the platform to target the very advertising-elusive 18-34 male demographic with advertisements for a Mountain Dew drink. They site the combination of voluntary and involuntary consumer data provided by Facebook as being deeper than the intel provided through other platforms - especially for this demographic. However, I am curious about the accuracy of the "voluntarily" provided information on the Facebook, and how reliable it might be in consumer targeting. I use Facebook frequently, but I think my Facebook profile says that I am a teacher in North Carolina - which was true about 8 years ago. If companies are using bad data to target consumers on the web, not only are they more likely to miss the mark with the tone and appeal of their ads, they may further alienate consumers who may suspect that an ad may be mining bad data from their Facebook profile. Although I have no doubt this platform will be a money maker for Facebook, I am curious to see the response by companies and consumers over the long term in terms of any backlash for consumers or the usefulness of the data for companies.
Link to NYT article
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