Facebook Launches Bandwidth Targeting for Ads

An example campaign from Thailand, which served video ads to 3G users and images to those on slower networks
A campaign from Thailand which used he functionality to serve video or image ads as appropriate

Facebook has launched a bandwidth targeting capability, enabling advertisers to deliver segmented campaigns based on whether the users network connection is 2G, 3G or 4G.

The launch ties into Facebooks ongoing efforts to reach users in emerging markets, where still-developing infrastructure can lead to highly variable network speeds, and the capability has already been tested with advertisers in India and Thailand.

The idea is that in these markets, ads can be delivered that are appropriate to the users connection speed, as well as their device type and OS. Creative can be optimised accordingly, so that a video ad is only seen by users on 3G connections or better, saving on wasted impressions from users who cannot reliably load the video.

This isnt the only potential application of the segmenting, however – Vodafone in India is using it to target users who might want to upgrade their current contract.