Facebook will use New York Advertising Week to unveil its revamped Atlas ad server and tracking system, AdNews understands.
Atlas will provide a triple-play for Facebook, as it seeks to show brands it can provide proof of its ability to drive online and in-store purchasing habits of its users.
Speculation around exactly what facebook would do with Atlas has been bubbling away since the social media behemoth acquired the business from Microsoft in February last year.
One digital agency boss told AdNews they were unprepared to comment "given the enormity of what is being proposed" by Facebook, the myriad permutations of the offering and extensive ramifications it will have on the market. “Until we see exactly what is being brought to the marketplace, it is impossible to have an opinion. We all suspected for a number of years that Facebook would launch its own ad serving platform, but Atlas goes far beyond that,” they said.
Mooted details about what Atlas can provide as a complete suite of advertising tools are varied and conflicted.
Sources speaking to AdNews are in agreement, however, that it will most likely perform three key functions: provide a standard ad serving network across Facebook and across the web for use internally and by external brands; give Facebook the ability to track behaviours online via tracking linked to a Facebook ID (as opposed to cookies) and lastly, provide an attribution tool giving brands the opportunity to cross-reference in-store purchases with online engagement of advertising.
The introduction of a tracking software linked to a Facebook ID, a 'like' or 'share' button - as a replacement for cookies - appears to be causing particular concern among marketers and agencies, given Facebook's proprietary ownership of the tool.
Yet the introduction of the software does not surprise some of those working in the Australian industry. Adap.tv Australia managing director Mitch Waters is pragmatic: "My assumption is that Facebook has been looking at a solution like this for some time because cookies don't work in mobile apps. So, as the amount of traffic running through Facebook's mobile app increases - and it's already high - they would want a way to better target and report on that traffic," he explained.
According to reports, Facebook has already been pitching brands on how Atlas can connect consumers' online behaviour with in-store purchasing. For example, should someone purchase a pair of jeans in a department store and give away their email address, that retailer can cross-reference that information with the consumers' previous online activity.
One source explained to AdNews how this is simply an extension of the service Facebook already provides. “Facebook has always allowed brands to cross-check information with its CRM data. What will be interesting is if Facebook gives brands the opportunity to extrapolate data with third parties on the network. You would presume that all of those involved in that transaction would have to sign-up and any T&Cs would have to be modified accordingly.”
It is thought that Facebook will introduce the new service in the US first, with a worldwide launch staggered over the next few months.
A spokesperson for Facebook Australia declined to comment on the forthcoming launch. New York Advertising Week kicks off on 29 September. Facebook is a corporate partner at the event.
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