Facebook Panel Points to Demographically Targeted Success
"Social is not a blip on the radar; it's not a trend," said Ben James, client partner for global marketing solutions at Facebook.
James was speaking on a Streaming Media West 2011 opening day panel entitled, "Facebook: Transforming the Future of Online Media." If anyone had any doubt on entering the conference that Facebook is a massive network perfectly tuned for delivering targeted information to advertisers, they didn't by the end.
While the reach of Facebook is vast, with over 800 million members, its targeting is simple: James showed off the easy controls that let brands zero in on only the members that they want to reach. They can start with basic demographics, such as gender and age, then include interests, as well. The tool shows the real-time number of users reachable when filters are in place.
"Any number of brands have any number of objectives," said James, such as gaining fans, converting browsers into buyers, or getting people to use their Facebook app. Facebook's targeting approach can work for any goals, he showed.
Film studio Miramax is using Facebook, said panelist Mitzi Reaugh, senior vice president for strategy and business development at Miramax. She showed off the studio's Facebook app, the first, she said, to rent multiple movies on the network. The app leverages the data available through Facebook to offer users targeted movie recommendations based on their likes and interests.
Miramax decided to rent through Facebook, Reaugh said, because of the massive 800 million user base, and because Facebook Connect removes the sign-in barrier that other sites face. The app is now available in six countries, with more to comes.
Highlighting the benefits of working with Facebook, Nick Namikas, chief technology officer and cofounder of social advertising company CitizenGlobal, spoke of how the Vans Warped tour used the network to get fans to share experiences from the tour. The company received a large amount of videos which were shared and turned into earned media.
Brands all want to be on Facebook, Namikas said, turning to the network to engage with their customers on a deeper level. Getting consumers to talk about the brands they like is critical, he added, and an ideal way to drive deeper engagement.
Scroll down to view the entire session:
Facebook: Transforming the Future of Online Media
Join Facebook and other leading media companies to discuss new methods of distributing digital media assets to the largest social media platform in the world. Technologies covered on the panel include HTML5, adaptive streaming, authentication, live events, tablets, mobile, and DRM. The panel also covers unique and highly targeted marketing opportunities to more than 700 million global users of Facebook. Explore ways to transform social networking and digital media distribution into making mounds of cash.
Moderator: Tim Napoleon, Co-Founder, President of Services, AllDigital
Speaker: Mitzi Reaugh, SVP, Strategy and Business Development, Miramax
Speaker: Ben James, Client Partner, Global Marketing Solutions, Facebook
Speaker: Nick Namikas, CTO, Co-Founder, CitizenGlobal
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