The Brandon Agency is monitoring the data issues within the Facebook platform very closely as we move forward with Facebook/Instagram advertising for our clients. While the breach that was reported recently is certainly concerning, it is helping to shed light on how important it is for users of the platforms to evaluate what information they are sharing publicly. The only information that could be harvested in this breach is the data that Facebook users share publicly on their profiles or what they have posted on someone else’s public profile. This is public information only, but not any data they have set as private. This is an important issue in the digital age and will help reinforce the need for people to monitor and regulate the information they’re sharing publicly while online, both on social media and throughout the internet.
Facebook has also already employed strict protocols to help crack down on fake profiles on the platform which will reduce false organic content aka “fake news” and false advertising being spread without validity. We have seen these new procedures firsthand through an agency team member’s work with Facebook to take down a fake account that was duplicated in her name. By engaging stricter policies and guidelines of profiles, business pages and advertising, Facebook is taking the steps to increase the trust factor users have within the platform. Raising consumers’ trust on the platform should only help increase the effectiveness of our advertisers’ messaging.
The Brandon Agency has had great success using Facebook’s comprehensive targeting tools and second and third party data. Our clients see fantastic performance while advertising on the platform, and we will continue to recommend using it as long as it continues to perform for our clients. We watch these results daily and will continue as we always have updating our advertising recommendations as needed to get the best results for our clients.
Within six months, Facebook will be eliminating access to use third party data as a targeting option through their platform. This will also help ensure the safety of Facebook users’ public data, as other entities will not be allowed access into the platform to phish for data. This does not mean that the targeting capabilities that Facebook currently provides advertisers will not be available, but it will be the agency providing the third party data to match with profiles based on our advertisers’ targeting needs. This will keep the relationship of data between the advertiser and the data provider and eliminate any third parties from having access to it.
As Mark Zuckerberg testified in front of Congress, there are already security policies and procedures put into place in 2014 that would have blocked the opportunity for Cambridge Analytica to access the data that was breached. The Brandon Agency will continue to monitor developments on data security, both in Facebook and throughout the internet. We believe that stronger security regulations on data will only help our clients interact successfully in a safe environment with current and prospective customers as we move forward.
Courtney Olbrich
Media & Analytics Director
Courtney is our Media & Analytics Director, located in our Myrtle Beach office. She has over 20 years of experience in marketing and advertising, with a wide variety of clients. Hailing from Metro Detroit, Michigan, it comes natural that she is an avid sports fan. So much so that all of her pets are named after professional baseball stadiums!