Brands should be very careful using one of Facebook’s ad platforms. They are creepy stalkers, and more and more will get annoyed by it. Pouring you marketing money into that might be doing yourself a disservice.
The other day I bought a one piece suite which is wonderful in these cold days walking the dog. I bought it online on my computer and very soon after I got an advertisement for it on my fake Facebook-profile in another browser. Even though I use an adblocker. We are getting used to that totally dumb and useless advertising for stuff we just bought.
But then a friend of mine called me. On the cell phone. I never use Facebook Messenger or anything owned by that company for conversations, and I have no Facebook apps on my iPhone. I told her about my one piece suite for dog-walking and I gave her the name, Dalset. The next day she got this ad on her Instagram.
The most likely way, this can have happened, is that she had given the Facebook-owned Instagram app on her phone access to the microphone. Now, big tech including Facebook keep saying that they don’t listen in on our conversations. But so many people have had the experience and they don’t trust that anymore. They are sure it is happening (Link video in Danish).
Whether or not it is happening, it is creepy to most people. My friend immediately turned off her microphone on all her apps. I have been teaching kids – and school teachers – that for years as well. But one thing is that Facebook is stalking you, and is dead creepy.
What about all the brands using the creepy platform?
I don’t mind telling my friends about a product like the Dalset one piece suite. It really is nice. But I must say that its reputation has deteriorated in my eyes with this experience.
So, if you want to be a creepy stalker like Facebook, then continue pouring your advertising money into it.
