Facebook to launch ad platform to better track users across 3rd-party sites

Facebook is allegedly on the verge of launching a brand new ad platform designed to improve how marketers target and measure the advertisements bought on the web. While this update may be applauded for its skillful innovation in the advertising space, it does sound rather creepy.

People familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that the update was a redesigned version of the Microsoft-created Atlas Advertiser Suite which the blue social giant bought in early 2013.

Essentially, as noted by the WSJ, the update is to focus on how users interact on ads that appear on Facebook’s services as well as third-party websites and apps. The latter is very important.

While Facebook already uses its social network to track users across platforms, the new update will apparently allow the tech company to do so across third-party sites and apps linked to it.

This is where Atlas supposedly steps in. Facebook is said to leverage user accounts — which stresses across platforms — to track user interaction. You know each time you create a new account on a site? It usually asks you to either sign up entering your personal details manually, or to simply use Facebook. Apart from Facebook Login, its users’ virtual behaviour crumbs stretch further across the web with each Share and Like becoming part of its data pie.

According to the WSJ, advertisers usually rely on websites’ cookies to track users’ online breadcrumbs. Cookies, however, is very apparently very outdated and thus not as effective in tracking mobile devices.

The WSJ further speculates that marketers using Atlas will be able to monitor when users have bought products using their desktops which were initially spotted on their smartphones, for instance.

This comes at a time where Google continues to dominate the digital advertising market share with 31.45% and Facebook trailing behind with 7.79% in 2014, according to eMarketer.

Image via The Drum.