Facebook advertising seems to be underperforming, in some specific aspects, for large companies that have decided to suspend their ads.
Breaking news, coming from the newsroom of the Financial Times: according to what was highlighted by an article by Robert Budden, some notes and large companies have almost entirely decided to suspend advertising on Facebook.
The basis for this consideration would be the evidence that the advertisements were placed alongside other content deemed offensive.
All this happened due to the system itself that regulates the appearance of ads, which, according to user preferences and searches, displays certain ads rather than others.
A very targeted customization, but not always appreciated by those who decide to invest in the advertising systemoffered by Facebook.
In particular, Robert Budden reports that the companies close to reconsidering advertising on Facebook would be Unilever, Nissan, and Nationwide, concerned about the poor image return from having their product names associated with misogynistic content.
The problem has been known for some time, and the Facebook staff is already working not only on removing offensive content but also on a more precise monitoring system, with consequent severe actions against the perpetrators.
However, at the moment, completely recalibrating the advertising system is complicated or at least a necessary but time-consuming solution.
Precisely for this reason, given the evidence that there is no technological tool to pre-select ads and their linked images, companies have decided to avoid investing in advertising on Facebook, awaiting a solution to the issue.
All this happens at a time when the social network giant has seen its revenues grow in the first three months of 2013 (+38% compared to the same period in 2012), precisely due to company investments made thanks to new targeted advertising tools.
The same tool that is now under fire and that Facebook apparently is trying to perfect, primarily by removing offensive content.
Facebook states that it is working, also with the help of women’s rights associations and specialized lawyers, to improve guidelines and best practices in cases like these. At the same time, it has announced a more widespread presence of moderators, not only to boost revenue by attracting companies again but also to offer a “cleaner” virtual space for all users.
From a personal point of view, one can only report offensive or violent content to bring it to the attention of those who monitor.
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