Procter & Gamble changes Facebook advertising strategy

The news that Procter & Gamble is changing the way it advertises on Facebook has everyone in marketing talking. Is this evidence of the pendulum swing back to “traditional media” that many experts predicted? Is it a signal that Facebook is losing its lustre among big brands?

The answer to both questions is a resounding no. But the rationale for P&G’s surprising move is even more interesting; it all comes down to targeting.

Our residing obsession with all things tactical means that most marketers overlook the strategic importance of targeting in dictating the ultimate success of a campaign. After the research and segmentation have been completed and before the tactical campaign is rolled out, the core question that advanced advertisers debate is both the size and denomination of the target customers they want to go after. That might sound like an easy question — but a debate has been raging for several years among large marketing companies about the degree to which they should zoom in to micro-segments of the market.

Read more at The Australian.