How do you feel about ads served to you on Facebook?

Facebook is using the apps you have on your Android or iPhone and websites you view to show you relevant ads according to your preferences and interests. Creepy or genius? Have you noticed that when you view something on a website, contemplate the purchase and move from that site to another - and suddenly that purchase you almost made is in an ad on Facebook? This happens in the Google Display Network as well, but Facebook has taken on the same approach.

Facebook announced back in June that they are introducing a new way for ads to reach you. With the ever changing ads dashboard of Facebook and the constant changes to Facebook - all the time - the targeting for ads is getting more and more specific.

Facebook is also giving an option to "Save" ads or posts you have seen in your newsfeed and view them later. This has been added to the Facebook app as well. 

If you do not want Facebook targeting you based on the websites you search, you can opt out by viewing your preferences of your web browser and opting out of the industry standard Digital Advertising Alliance Opt Out. There is also an option on your mobile device. Whether you have an Android or an iPhone, your phone preferences those controls as well. 

The newest feature added to ads you see in your newsfeed is how you want those ads served to you. In the top right hand corner of every post on your newsfeed, a small arrow can be clicked on and several options are available. For example, Facebook shows what the options will be: 

[image from Facebook blog] 

You could say you don't want to see that ad, hide all ads from that specific business, view why you have been selected for the ad or label the ad as useful. This is an interesting take on letting the targeted audience be the controller of what they see. If you think about it, that was the intention of Facebook pages all together. You "like" a page because you want updates about that specific brand, business, group etc. With this new features, ads will be the same way. 

Facebook says that within the next few weeks (from their post in June 12th) that the features will be available on ads. I have not seen them in affect on my served ads just yet..but I am sure they will be there soon!

After thought:

How will this change the way the targeting is selected for a campaign on Facebook? Will marketers now have to rethink how they will reach their audiences if people can modify how they are targeted? 

See Facebook's full article: Making Ads Better and Giving People More Control Over The Ads They See