Facebook launches tool to monetise better in emerging markets

In what will help Facebook monetise its offerings in emerging economies better, the social networking company, launched a tool to help advertisers target their campaigns based on the type of network connection they usually use to access the internet - 2G, 3G or 4G. The company said this was a global feature but would be key in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and India where devices and bandwidth connections are often the lowest common denominator.

"This new capability solves a key need for marketers looking to reach people globally, on multiple devices and on multiple connection speeds. Marketers can deliver creative messages tailored to device and access speed and build the best experience with people, especially in high-growth markets where limited data plans and feature phones are common," it said.

Facebook said bandwidth targeting was available to advertisers around the world via the Ad Create tool, Power Editor and the application programming interface from Thursday. It also said the feature had been built "with privacy in mind" and all data will be anonymous. "Audiences for mobile network targeting are developed by aggregating groups of people based on primary connection-type."

The announcement comes on the heels of Facebook committing in July that it would build customised experiences for people in high-growth countries. It had earlier launched a "click to missed call" feature for India in line with a "cultural" behavioural trend here.

The service allows a user to click a button that calls a brand advertiser, immediately disconnects and then receives a return call which delivers pre-recorded audio messages be it about sponsored cricket scores, information about shopping discounts etc.

Facebook's chief operating officer Sheyrl Sandberg visited India last month and also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other key stakeholders including advertisers.

The company said in a blog post that it already offers the option to reach people based on the type of device they use (smart phones, feature phones and tablets), as well as device model and operating system. "However, advertisers also told us that having the ability to segment based on network connection type would help them create better ad experiences." Targeting by mobile network type helps advertisers choose creative that will run smoothly on any given device and connection speed, it added.