If you’re no stranger to digital paid media then you’re probably no stranger to the AdChoices icon that often accompanies ads you’ve been served. If you’ve never noticed it before, here’s a bit of background. AdChoices icons accompany ads that are specifically targeting you based on data they’ve gathered.
It could be information about your interests, your shopping habits, your industry — anything that could help them serve you ads that they think are actually relevant to you. Although the AdChoices icon has been around for awhile, it will soon be introduced to ads that haven’t previously carried it — Facebook Exchange ads.
What are Facebook Exchange ads?
FBX ads are ads served within Facebook that are targeted to users based on information gathered outside of Facebook. Here’s a perfect example. While searching for information about the FBX AdChoices integration, I came across the site for the FBX-based retargeting service AdRoll.
I scrolled through the landing page and then left the site. When I returned to my Facebook newsfeed, I was greeted by an ad I’d never seen before:
See how it works?
What does the addition of the AdChoices icon mean for my brand’s FBX ads?
Normally, the ads carrying the AdChoices icon display it prominently in the upper right corner, like the display ad at the beginning of this post. Although they’ll still be in this same location on Facebook ads, they’ll be harder to find. In order to see if an ad is carrying one of these icons, users will have to hover over an ad, then hover over the ‘x’ in the upper right corner and wait to see if the icon is then displayed.
This means that the icon itself won’t interfere with an ad’s design or copy, and that it won’t even be seen by the majority of Facebook users. It does mean, however, that users familiar with the new setup will be able to opt out of such ads if they want to.
In addition, if your brand previously shied away FBX ads because of their lack of transparency, you’ll soon be able to add it to your list of digital paid media strategies. The AdChoices icons will be introduced by the end of March.
Of course, in order to make your ads seen, you need to optimize them as much as possible. Revamp your Facebook ads with our guide and get more clicks for your display ads with our design tips.
