You Want Targeting? I’ll Show You Targeting!

Posted on July 4, 2008 by David Rodnitzky

Yet another example of smart usage of FaceBook’s treasure trove of user-submitted information showed up today when I logged into FaceBook. Check out this incredible ad:

I happened to be 36 years old, a male, and I could spare a few pounds. So how did this ad target me so precisely? Well, in truth, I don’t think the advertiser knows anything about my weight, but they do know – and can target – my age and sex via FaceBook advertising.

So for advertisers who want to spend the time, you could basically create 100 separate ads – each one targeting a sex and age over a 50 year age range – and create ads that seem to “know” the user.

Now that’s what I call targeting. Get ready for a lot more ads on FaceBook like this really soon!

Postscript: Just a moment later I logged into FaceBook again and found this ad – not quite as good as the first one, but still not too shabby!

About David Rodnitzky

David Rodnitzky is founder and CEO of PPC Associates. He currently serves on advisory boards for several companies, including Marin Software, MediaBoost, Mediacause, and a stealth travel start-up. David has a B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago and a J.D. with honors from the University of Iowa. In his spare time, David enjoys salmon fishing, hiking, spending time with his family, and watching the Iowa Hawkeyes, not necessarily in that order.

View all posts by David Rodnitzky →

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2 Responses to You Want Targeting? I’ll Show You Targeting!

searchquant says:
July 4, 2008 at 5:46 pm
I got the ab ad too, but I do situps every time I go to the gym and if you look at my midsection from the right angle and immediately after my workout you can still see something analogous to a six-pack. I wonder if I increase my situps to 5 days a week whether Facebook will get off my back?!?!
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David Rodnitzky says:
July 7, 2008 at 4:00 am
I’m sure that Google will eventually come out with a shoe that measures your heart rate and targets ads appropriately. I wonder if gshoe is still available?
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