In a move that challenges Google yet one more time, Facebook decided to run its own mobile ad network, which is currently in the test phase.
Not long ago, the social network told businesses that their Pages are not really that engaging. Now, they announced that they are testing ads in mobile apps, suggesting that this is the right solution for advertisers and for app developers who want to monetize.
On the Facebook for Business blog, the company pointed out that “As mobile continues to move to more app-based experiences, advertisers want to reach people spending their time in apps and developers need new ways to make money.”
Furthermore, Facebook added that in order “To improve the relevancy of the ads people see, provide even greater reach for Facebook advertisers and help mobile developers better monetize their apps, we’re running a small test to show Facebook ads in mobile apps. Our aim is to demonstrate even greater reach with the same power of Facebook targeting for advertisers both on and off Facebook.”
The company is right about this, as some people use mobile devices exclusively for their needs, while others prefer desktop platforms. Needless to say, there are many who use both desktops and mobile devices, depending on the situation. Facebook’s solution is to create ad networks for all platforms, in order to maximize the reach of advertisers and monetization of developers.
The social network explained that, for the time being, the mobile ad network only involves a limited number of advertisers and partners “While we have run similar tests in the past, this current test is more like a mobile ad network in that we are working directly with a small number of advertisers and publishers rather than an outside ad-serving platform. The current test is limited to a few advertisers and partners, and we will share more details over the coming months.”
Should the results of these tests be satisfactory, Facebook will undoubtedly roll out the mobile ad network to the world, so that businesses of all types and sizes flourish. This will also have an impact on the social network’s revenues, and it would be a mistake to think that Facebook would do anything without thinking about its own profit, first. It remains to be seen how the mobile world will receive this ad network when it exits the test phase.
If you liked this post, please check the Sparq acquisition by Yahoo and the Dunkin’ Donuts experiments with subliminal advertising.
