Case Study: Facebook Advertising on Advertisers

As Campaign Managers, we are constantly noticing the ads that we are being shown on social media. We also tend to question why we are being shown the ads we are because we know there is no way we would purchase the product or service.

As an experiment our Campaign team took a look at the first couple ads that were shown to them on both desktop and mobile and evaluated how relevant the ads were to them. So that you can understand more about our Campaign team, we also created mock-up Facebook profiles giving you some understanding to who they are.

 

Kristina

 

Ad #1

The first ad I saw was from a popular online ring store. Since I have been dating my boyfriend for over 3 years that question should be right around the corner. As I am a visual person, I frequent their website to build my dream engagement ring. As a result of this, I see this companies ads EVERYWHERE. Google, Facebook, Instagram… it’s even on my boyfriends Facebook (although that’s from him doing his own research, not a creepy feature of remarketing.)

The carousel ad type allows my curious mind to scroll through different ring styles, without having to leave the Facebook platform.

Relevant: Yes

Likely To Buy?: Hopefully I can encourage a purchase

Where was ad?: Facebook desktop application

 

Ad #2

Last week I was on Amazon ordering shampoo, body wash and toilet paper. Now that I have my toiletries restocked, that obviously means I need diapers for the child I do not have…duh.

This is a good example of a company that is probably targeting a younger demographic to show that you can order baby diapers from your phone and have them delivered to your house. Depending on the type of campaign they are running, if it was a video campaign, they would have had to pay after I watched 5 seconds of this video for something I am not buying.

In order to improve this, they could have targeted people who have recently become parents, liked certain pages (that are relevant to parenting) or changed their “job title” to Motherhood.

Relevant: No

Likely To Buy?: At this point in my life, I’ll stick to buying toilet paper, not diapers.

Where was ad?: Facebook mobile

Ad #3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basically anything relating to food or eating is a good fit for sponsored ads for me. I follow Tasty (those awesome quick how-to cook videos), which could be one of the reasons this ad appeared for me. The messaging is clear, they are fast, easy and delicious recipes. As Forrest Gump said “that’s all I have to say about that”

Relevant: Yes

Likely To Buy?: I would visit the site and look at the recipes for sure

Where was ad?: Facebook mobile

Julia

Ad #1

This ad is for a “swaddle set” which, in my opinion, seems to be a legal straight jacket for a baby. I am not entirely sure how I made the ‘cut’ to be targeted, as I am definitely not a parent, and to be honest, not overly fond of children and their constant sticky hands. I have noticed once changing my relationship status to “married” all the companies and hitting me up with their baby gadgets.

To improve their targeting, similar to Kristina and Ad #2, they could have targeted people who have recently become parents, liked certain pages (that are relevant to parenting) or changed their “job title” to Motherhood.

Relevant: No

Likely To Buy?: Unless I had to attend a baby shower, I won’t be needing baby straight jackets swaddlers anytime soon.

Where was ad?: Facebook Desktop

 

Ad #2

This ad got me good. I ended up clicking and going through all the steps up until check out. I am obsessed with customized/personal pieces and filling my home with things that reflect us, tell a story about us, or is something not everyone else has. This is something which hits every single thing.  I follow a lot of Facebook and Instagram accounts which offer different personalized or custom products similar to this, which means this company is doing a fabulous job at targeting users who are likely to engage/buy.

Relevant: Yes

Likely To Buy?: 100% (if there is ever sale, price wise, it is a little bit more than I would be willing to pay for it)

Where was ad?: Facebook Desktop

 

Ad #3

I was on this website looking at Sectional Sofas and throw pillows, and now they are remarketing to me with products I did not look at/not interested in.

I like the carousel ads and being able to browse products, however, the products which came up I was not interested in (as I was still looking for sectionals and throw pillows). As I mentioned, baby products are being pushed on me like crazy, which immediately makes me uninterested. I did not even click on the additional images, because I didn’t really care after seeing the crib.

Relevant: Yes and no

Likely To Buy?: No

Where was ad?: Facebook Desktop

 

Karlo

Ad #1

Ahhh the years ending and I forgot to use my dental plan?! I mean, that would be my reaction if it wasn’t for the fact that the last time I was a student at University of Toronto was 4 years ago… I actually really appreciate this advertisement since most students, including myself, either forgot to opt-out of their health & dental plan or forgot to use it entirely. They’re spending money to help me save money!

Unfortunately, they’re wasting budget serving me this advertisement and should take the time to exclude former students from their targeting to ensure ads are only being served to current students.

Relevant: No

Likely To Buy?: I’d click it if I was still a student! Totally irrelevant to me now.

Where was ad?: Facebook Desktop

Ad #2

What’s the deal Amazon? Can’t you target me better then that? I browse Amazon more often than I’d like to admit but that also means the amount of data they have on me is the same – more than I’d like to admit. Honestly, I clicked the advertisement. I’m a sucker for a “deal” and I suffer from the fear of missing out.

Considering the fact that I’m a frequent visitor of Amazon, I’d be targeting myself with re-marketing advertisements with deals based on the categories that I’ve visited recently or most often. It’d 100% be more effective if Amazon had served me an advertisement specifically talking about a deal on the headphones I was just looking at.

Relevant: Yes

Likely To Buy?: Yes

Where was ad?: Facebook Desktop

Ad #3

I’m trying to switch my style up a little bit, so I’ve been in the market for a pair of new glasses frames. I’ve been browsing online specifically for a pair of round metal frames. Sound familiar? The advertisement I’ve been served is exactly that. It’s almost as if the tables have turned and now my future glasses are looking for me. I’m sure there’s a Harry Potter reference in there somewhere.

What’s actually happening is I’m being re-marketed to. They’ve tracked what product categories I’ve visited and served me advertisements in accordance to that information. This makes the advertisements I’m seeing very relevant to me! I would hope that once I purchase a product that I get excluded from this re-marketing list and placed into a different one.

Relevant:  Yes

Likely To Buy?: Yes

Where was ad?: Facebook Desktop