Friday thoughts about Facebook domination...

It is becoming increasingly obvious with Facebook’s recent updates of what the platform is trying to achieve, and it's spellbinding to imagine the enormity and the minutiae of its capability and influence. What’s captivating is how Facebook plays so dominantly with competitors, confirming an unrelenting motto ‘...just buy it or copy it’. It’s safe to say that human communication and engagement continues to evolve at pace, and with the watchful eye of Facebook, tech start ups and high growth companies are within a fiery territory.

Take the ‘24 hour disappearing content’ format as introduced by Snapchat, a once unique value proposition of the social media platform. Not only does disappearing content cleverly increase user frequency, it builds scarcity around content which incentives people to consume it before vanishing into the ether. The concept was so desirable that Facebook offered a whooping $3billion to acquire the company in 2013. Snapchat declined and recently decided to float, indicating a real intent to play ball. However Facebook has simply decided to flood the social media ocean with Snapchat’s main proposition of disappearing content (and now filters), which essentially renders the concept as ‘unique-less’. Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories (Facebook owned) and WhatApp Statuses (Facebook owned) now essentially copycat Snapchat, so there’s an intensified lense on how Snapchat will react. Therefore if you’re playing with the big boys, don’t forget your tin hat!

So we know that Facebook is on track for world domination, boasting 2billion monthly users globally (not forgetting 50% of the world population having internet access), but what is paradoxically awe-inspiring is its targeting capabilities to such a bespoke audience. It is so specific that one American targeted his roommate with Facebook advertising that only he could see. As an example, if you want to engage 33 year old female horse lovers who play board games within postcode NW1 and scuba dive at the weekend, you’ll find them on Facebook. For marketers alike, this is a significantly compelling opportunity that businesses of all sizes can grab a slice of for as little as ￡1. 

So if you’re not following Facebook with a close lense, you’re likely missing out on it’s incredible power and capabilities. Unless your Snapchat of course, who is probably sick of seeing the real ghost behind their back...

Ross Macintyre is the Managing Director, Unleash Digital Ltd