Advertisers have long awaited Facebook’s release of an ad network that would allow for advertisers to use the Facebook ad platform all around the web. What advertisers have been looking for with Facebook is an advertising network that would allow advertisers to target their ads, stemming from the information they gather from activity on Facebook and what users share with others. When it was reported by Inside Facebook that Facebook was launching ads on Zynga.com, the website developed by the creators of such games as Words with Friends and Farmville, advertisers thought that their dreams were coming true.

Well, this beginning of a new Facebook ad network is not quite what advertisers were expecting. The three bullet points regarding their new Zynga.com advertisements on Facebook’s Help Center were, “You’ll only see sponsored stories about activity that has been shared with you, You can remove ads that don’t interest you by clicking the X, Facebook doesn’t see information that tells advertisers who you are.” They also write, “The Facebook ads you see on Zynga are the same ads you see on Facebook.com.

So, there really isn’t much that is new about these ads that are now being featured on Zynga.com. However, all hope is not lost. Zynga is one of the most well known game and Facebook app developers on the web. Now that they have their own off-Facebook website, the hits have been very high. So, advertising on Zynga.com with Facebook doesn’t necessarily mean an upcoming failure.

Also, there is additional reason for excitement about Facebook’s advertising future. There have been recent announcements about Facebook partnering up with a few DSPs. Facebook has plans to allow a large chunk of information to be presented for targeting of display ads. This will allow advertisers to target people with the help of the data received from Facebook’s DSP partners. However, none of this new DSP advertising will infringe upon privacy statements, so that Facebook can continue to run smoothly and without struggle with privacy proponents.

Regardless of the idea of waiting longer for a breakthrough Facebook advertising network, there is still quite a bit of marketing potential to come in the near future. For now, the Zynga.com advertising feature will remain very similar to the advertising seen on Facebook. They will feature the well known Sponsored Stories and display ad banners that show up on the side of the Facebook page now. However, the new DSP partnership news shows a gleam of light that may be a new advertising opportunity. It isn’t what advertisers have been looking for exactly, but that’s no reason to shun the idea of Facebook’s advertising in the future. Facebook has had a lot of pressure put on them, be it from advertisers, lawyers, or privacy advocates. With a social network as popular and innovative as Facebook, though, it comes with the package. There’s evidence that Facebook will eventually break out of the shell and start up with new marketing options, but until then advertisers will just have to wait.

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Written by Michael Levanduski

Michael Levanduski is a news reporter at Performance Marketing Insider. He’s been a writer at one level or another for the past 15+ years. He has three kids and lives in Grand Rapids, MI.

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