{"id":7375,"date":"2017-07-13T08:24:11","date_gmt":"2017-07-13T08:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rsoftsolution.com\/blog\/facebooks-messenger-ads-are-bad-and-must-be-destroyed.html"},"modified":"2017-07-13T08:24:11","modified_gmt":"2017-07-13T08:24:11","slug":"facebooks-messenger-ads-are-bad-and-must-be-destroyed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbsitsoftwaresolution.in\/blog\/facebooks-messenger-ads-are-bad-and-must-be-destroyed.html","title":{"rendered":"Facebook\u2019s Messenger ads are bad and must be destroyed"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

When Facebook removed messages from the main app, I swore then and there that I would never download Messenger. That\u2019s been a pretty easy promise to keep, especially since they introduced the lovely idea of enormous ads that take up half your screen while you try to use the service.<\/p>\n

Today Facebook redesigned them as part of a larger rollout<\/a> \u2014 but fixed none of the reasons these ads are bad and should be destroyed.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re huge<\/h2>\n

The ads may be \u201cdynamic\u201d as FB told me, but damn, look at the size<\/em> of the things. They\u2019re simply too large for the interface they\u2019re invading, the image larger than any other element of the design. Even in the official video and images posted, the sponsored section takes up like two-thirds of the screen, and you better believe that\u2019s the best-case scenario.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Why so big? Did the ad department say they couldn\u2019t sell anything that didn\u2019t completely take over the app? Did they not want to ask for smaller assets after asking for ones at this size to begin with? Do they think people like ads as much as ad people do?<\/p>\n

At least now there\u2019s only one ad instead of a series you\u2019re invited to explore. I\u2019m guessing engagement with the carousel was abysmal \u2014 who would think, hmm, not enough ads in my chat feed?<\/p>\n

They interrupt the user experience<\/h2>\n

To be fair, even good ads interrupt the user\u2019s experience a little. But this is just way too much. As soon as you open the app, smack dab in the middle of the most-used main interface: an ad that takes up more of the screen than the content you opened the app to access. That\u2019s intolerable.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I asked Facebook what its test users had said about the ads. A representative told me that \u201cWe monitored people\u2019s engagement closely throughout the initial test and the results were promising\u2026\u201d and that \u201csince we began testing in Australia and Thailand we have put people\u2019s experience first, and we will continue to prioritize this as we roll out the Messenger ads test further.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea that these ads resulted from putting people\u2019s experience first is, of course, ridiculous. If Facebook were doing that, it would never have snipped Messenger off from the main app in the first place, much less burdened it with huge ads.<\/p>\n

When I asked again what the users\u2019 feedback had actually been, I received no response. I also asked if users could expect to see ads just one time, or every few threads, or what \u2014 but no info on that either. We\u2019ll find out soon, but I\u2019m guessing they\u2019re keeping their options open on that one.<\/p>\n

Is it possible to make ads that fit on a mobile screen alongside your messaging content? Sure! In fact, I would bet that Facebook looked at several designs that did just that and rejected them.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re irrelevant<\/h2>\n

When you visit a retailer online, you get a popup that says sign up for our email list and you get 10 percent off your first purchase. I\u2019m okay with that. When I search on Google for \u201cair mattress\u201d I see sponsored results for items at Walmart before the rest. I\u2019m okay with that too. When I read an article at Anandtech<\/a>, I see ads for things like power supplies (well, also the Cooking Channel). Sure!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hmm, maybe I could use a new NUC\u2026<\/p>\n

All these ads are fine, relatively speaking, because they have context. They\u2019re actually related to what I\u2019m looking for or interested in, and no creepy tracking required! (Though it\u2019s probably happening anyway.)<\/p>\n

Messenger\u2019s ads have no context. They\u2019re big banner ads that show up regardless of what you opened the app to do \u2014 and anyway, what advertisement could possibly make sense for the \u201casking a friend what they\u2019re up to\u201d use case? There isn\u2019t one!<\/p>\n

The ads use the same targeting as other Facebook ads \u2014 no snooping in your messaging content yet. So if you\u2019ve liked a bunch of retailer pages, you\u2019ll probably see those, along with stuff in the same categories. That\u2019s something, I guess, but who\u2019s going to suddenly decide to browse men\u2019s shoes at Timberland instead of responding to a message, which they opened the app to do?<\/p>\n

Messenger isn\u2019t really a \u201cfree time\u201d experience the way Facebook proper is \u2014 you use the former with purpose, the latter idly. Advertisements must cater to that, just like anywhere else in the world: you don\u2019t see the same ads on subway walls (where you have to sit and stare) as on billboards (where you have two or three seconds max and your attention is elsewhere).<\/p>\n

Destroy them and\/or let them destroy themselves<\/h2>\n

Facebook survives on advertising revenue, but it is also responsive to stuff that isn\u2019t working. These ads are in testing, though public announcements like this usually mean they\u2019re pretty far along \u2014 not some random lark the company may or may not follow through on. I mean, ads are a guarantee at this point, and you can\u2019t escape:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But if you don\u2019t want enormous, intrusive<\/em> ads prominently featured<\/em> in your Messenger app, don\u2019t touch them. Use the little dot menu at the upper right to hide ads. And don\u2019t encourage them by selecting \u201cThis ad is useful.\u201d Who does that?!<\/p>\n

Advertising is how things get paid for on the internet, including TechCrunch, so I\u2019m not an advocate of eliminating it or blocking it altogether. But bad advertising experiences can spoil a perfectly good app like (for the purposes of argument) Messenger. Messaging is a personal, purposeful use case and these ads are a bad way to monetize it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Featured Image: Bryce Durbin \/ TechCrunch<\/small><\/p>\n

Article source: http:\/\/feedproxy.google.com\/~r\/techcrunch\/social\/~3\/Yr8zG9LL6KQ\/<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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