April 29, 2013
Since the creation of the smartphone and the advent applications, social media has been an integral part of the mobile phone experience. With that in mind talks of a Facebook mobile phone seemed to be a natural progress. Instead, Facebook made the bold decision to create Facebook Home; an innovative software that takes over your home screen in order to provide a more immersive social mobile experience.
Effectively, the software acts as a skin that turns an Android or HTC phone into a social networking device. Although the software is littered with interesting features the real gem is the reach that advertisers will gain. Facebook Home will have ads integrated into it, even when the phone is locked, providing a further opportunity for advertisers to targeted audiences.*
Facebook already has a very advanced targeting system. Marketers are able to target users based on age, location, education level, interests and relationship status amongst other things. But with the launch of Facebook Home, Facebook will be present wherever you are. It will know what you are doing, where you are and who you chat to. This means that the data available about users will be deeper, allowing for more advanced targeting. And although ads do not yet have a place on the cover page there are plans for integrating them in the future.
Though Facebook Home seems to be the future of social media marketing, one could argue that this amount of integration and the reach of Facebook ads may prove to be an experience that is too invasive and saturated. Moreover, if the software is going to have a profound effect on marketing, the user experience needs to improve. Whilst the app has been downloaded more than half a million times, reviews have been mixed with the average being just 2.2 out of five on app shop Play.**
What are your experiences of using Facebook Home?
Sources:
* BBC