Bye Bye Cookies: Facebook Atlas Marches onto the Display Advertising Battle Field

Advertising displayed for the individual user – we’ve got that already: the Google display network is still doing good work. But with the advertising network Atlas, Facebook also wants to display advertising…everywhere, not just on users’ newsfeeds. However, personalised advertising requires information on the user. Isn’t it practical that Facebook knows more than the name of 1.2 billion people?

The advertising network Atlas

Up to now, advertising with Facebook has meant purchasing coverage on the social platform. Users who don’t follow your site are never the less shown certain posts. Side-bar advertising completes Facebook advertising. With Atlas, the largest social network buys advertising space on external sites. Advertising is then displayed there by the Atlas customer….based on the Facebook ID and the personal data associated with a person.

What does this have to do with mobile advertising?

Because Atlas works with Facebook IDs rather than cookies, users can be tracked better. A person’s customer journey is more complete because of this. With Atlas, tracking problems via cookies on mobile devices are now a thing of the past. This is leading to a small Renaissance in mobile advertising. Facebook knows best what customers like and shows them just that. It doesn’t matter what platform the potential custom is on.

Before privacy policy makers start pulling their hair out: Facebook IDs and all relevant data remain in Facebook and are not passed on to the advertisers. A privacy crisis should not occur, even if some people have already braced themselves for a Facebook-bashing. Only Google needs to be worried with Facebook now entering the battle field called “display Advertising” right after Amazon’s product displays on external websites.