Friends of Friends: Inside the Advertising World of Facebook

Facebook describes its advertising strategy as "word-of-mouth marketing at scale": a turn of phrase that sings an old tune of tupperware parties and unpaid advertising from customers to friends, but actually means neither of the two. "When we took down banner ads and started coming up with social context ads, it was a big, bold move," said Facebook client partner lead Nat Hampson, "but it was true to the brand."

Facebook describes its advertising strategy as “word-of-mouth marketing at scale”: a turn of phrase that sings an old tune of tupperware parties and unpaid advertising from customers to friends, but actually means neither of the two.

Founded in 2004, Facebook has nearly 1 billion monthly active users and garners 3.2 billion likes and comments every day.

Facebook client partner lead Nat Hampson describes the way people use Facebook as “heavy.” Between panels at Expion’s Racing Ahead 2012 social business summit, Hampson told SocialTimes that an increasing number of people are using Facebook to upload and share photos, despite easier methods for connecting with friends, like writing a status update or clicking the “like” button.

It’s an interesting observation from a company built on the leisure activity of keeping in touch with friends.

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