Early last week, Facebook released their new targeted ad feature, “Partner Categories.” This new feature allows advertisers to zero in on a target audience based on their purchase behavior by utilizing information from large data companies including Acxiom, Blue Kai, Datalogix, and Epsilon. This new partnership has better positioned Facebook to offer advertisers the opportunity to fine tune their campaigns and get more relevant advertisements in front of the right audience.
With partner categories, Facebook is able to deliver highly targeted ads based not only on the information provided in users’ profiles, but also based on users’ online and offline buying habits.
For example, a local grocer wanting to promote a new line of cereal for children can now show ads to users who have shown to be likely buyers of children’s cereals.
This benefits both users and advertisers. For users, this presents a better experience because they are provided with ads that are highly relevant to both their interests and buying habits. For advertisers, this allows delivery of ads that are more targeted, and should theoretically provide a better return on investment.
