Facebook now uses your face in adverts

5_krusty.jpgYes – your face. Facebook adverts already use your name to advertise stuff to your friends, but now Facebook adverts that use your face are starting to make an appearance, after rolling out last week.

Currently, those little adverts on the side of your screen go like this: “Hey Lucy, your friend John Smith likes Galliano, check it out?” next to a picture of the like button.

In the new format these ads will also feature your profile picture – just to give your friends that extra incentive to click through.

It will also look a bit like you, the Facebook user are personally endorsing the product, like Krusty the Klown on one of those Simpsons adverts. On Facebook, you are now the poster boy/girl for Coca-Cola, French Connection or even Purina Chow Cat Food as this unfortunate lady is below:

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As PCWorld.com point out this is all based on the unproven theory that we are more likely to buy and like stuff that our friends do. I guess that largely holds true, though personally there are only some friends whose opinions and tastes I’m interested in.

Still, I imagine Facebook knows who they are anyway. You win Facebook.

Both your face and name can also be used to endorse products on external third party websites as well.. if you like the page of the brand on Facebook. You know those Facebook fan page widgets? There’s one down there on the right. You can however, disable this feature in privacy settings.

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[via PC World]
Anna Leach

3 comments

  • I need to subvert this so that my profile gets associated with some hardcore adult products. That way everybody will think I am a real stud!

    Seriously, though, I have a personal distaste for adverts which are designed to look like non-advertising material: like magazine adverts formatted to look like editorial.

    Adding personal info to it is just insult to injury.

    Furthermore, I thought if you used a person’s likeness in an advertising campaign you were obliged to pay them a fee?

  • That’s pretty good, social networking sites like facebook is really helpful to advertise your product or services. It helps you to have more traffic on your sites.

  • That’s pretty good, social networking sites like facebook is really helpful to advertise your product or services. It helps you to have more traffic on your sites.

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