Get Ready to be Bombarded with Ads- Facebook Employs New Technology to Manage Advertising
You cannot run from it and you certainly cannot hide. No, we aren’t referring to inflation.. we are trying to prepare our readers for what is about to change their Facebook experience for sure. Facebook has now found a way to overpower tools like ad blockers. The social network will be forcing people to view its ads but the good news is that it also gives users the freedom to choose between those ads, you simply cannot block them anymore.
In an official blog post, it was announced that it has finally got hold of a new technology that will allow the social network to forcefully show its marketing feats. As per the Vice-President of ads and business at Facebook, Andrew Bosworth, the company has designed its own ad formats, ad performance, and controls so as to ensure that people don’t turn to ad blockers.
“When we asked people about why they used ad-blocking software, the primary reason we heard was to stop annoying, disruptive ads. As we offer people more powerful controls, we’ll also begin showing ads on the Facebook desktop for people who currently use ad-blocking software,” says Bosworth.
This step hasn’t arrived out of the blue but is a strategically placed step because only recently the Interactive Advertising Bureau released a report that more than a quarter of internet users within the US were using ad blockers on their desktops. In the UK, the situation isn’t any less devastating since according to eMarketer, around 24% of laptop and desktop users will be using ad blockers by the end of 2017.
Instead of paying ad-blocking firms to unblock the ads that Facebook wanted its users to view, the company chose to update its ad format and allow people more control over what they wanted to see by modifying their preferences. That is, apart from adopting new technology to show ads, the social network will be introducing a range of new preference controls to determine which ads users wanted to see and which they didn’t on their newsfeeds. So, instead of completely eliminating ads, Facebook has allowed users to pick what sorts of ads they want to view. It also will allow users to block ads from businesses and firms that have been Liked by the users.
Related: The Economist’s Ad-Blocker was Hacked, Delivered Malware to Windows Users
Interactive Advertising Bureau’s CE and President Randall Rothenberg states that:
“Facebook should be applauded for its leadership on preserving a vibrant value exchange with its users. Its decision to respect advertising as an essential ingredient in connecting users worldwide is spot-on, and should be replicated across the free and open Internet.”
