Facebook in Australia
Facebook are opening a sales team in Australia: (AustralianIT) Facebook looks for Aussie hires SOCIAL networking website Facebook is looking for at least four staff, including a Sydney-based head of sales, to form the nucleus of an Australian-based advertising team. Australia appears to have been earmarked alongside Canada and Sweden for expansion. The company’s jobs…
Facebook are opening a sales team in Australia: (AustralianIT)
Facebook looks for Aussie hires
SOCIAL networking website Facebook is looking for at least four staff, including a Sydney-based head of sales, to form the nucleus of an Australian-based advertising team. Australia appears to have been earmarked alongside Canada and Sweden for expansion. The company’s jobs website shows it is also hiring sales chiefs in those markets.
Ninemsn has been Facebook’s local advertising representative since last December after it was handed responsibility for selling some of the site’s Australian display advertising packages.
That followed a global deal in which Microsoft paid $US240 million ($289 million) for a 1.6 per cent stake in the company.
Otherwise Facebook has lagged its main competitors in the race to sell advertising in this market.
MySpace has had an Australian sales team since 2006, while Bebo appointed Francisco Cordero as its general manager last year.
In March, Facebook vice-president of media sales Mike Murphy said the site expected to expand its advertising revenues faster than its rivals, based on projections that advertising on global social websites would grow by 75 per cent this year to $US2.1 billion.
It has been tipped to reach $30 million in Australia this year.
The company is advertising for a head of sales, an account executive, an account manager and a sales planner, all of whom are to be based in Sydney.
it’ll be a colour-by-numbers job (they give you the colouring book, crayons and you just make sure you come in under the lines). But still, sexy to tell friends you work at Facebook Australia. Heh.j
And maybe they should have a read of Monetizing Social Networks? (next post down, ironically enough)
First hand experience from my time at ninemsn would suggest this is going to be a tough sell.
ninemsn were responsible for leaderboard banner ad sales – not the integrated adboard placements (which are self serving).
Whilst there are a huge amount of impressions, the CTR’s are almost non existent.
Clearly not the right environment for broadcast banner ads!
I can’t wait to see the integration opportunities that hit the market.
Facebook has become the poster child for social networks and attracted more than 65 million users. But will it survive ‘the next big thing’?
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Angelinjones
Internet Marketing
Here’s hoping some decent customer service comes with that!! Am over the ‘Facebook is aware of the issue’ standard response.
@Tony I’m totally mesmerised by Facebook Social Ads – put in girls, 19 -21 years, Location: Brisbane and Britney Spears in keywords – Facebook delivers live data of number of teen girls with Britney in their profile/music list. The killer of Google contextual ads MUST be social profile ads?
@Angelin – learn how to spam links properly. Plus it’s now (as of last week) 100 million REGULAR members (log in once a week. or is it a month?)
@Danielle – I contacted Facebook, explained your concerns and they said … “Facebook is aware of the issue” – hope this helps 😛
Facebook offers ok targeting but inappropriate context most of the time.
And it’s the same problem most of the myspace, Digg, LinkedIn, Slide’s etc of the world face – lots of eyeballs, interesting ways to cut the data to make them seem interesting and appealing, but the context is rarely right so the placements are generally ineffective in the scheme of the wider comms mix.
Facebook’s plan is to rid online advertising of the need to have an external destination – ie ‘click away’ from the page. The opportunities I have seen are based on ‘in ad’ executions where you can interact with a brand, trailer, music etc without leaving the page. I don’t mind the thinking but it’s only really scratching the surface.
This is interesting, as Google Content Network will not accept ads without a click url, which indirectly is a statement (imo) that Google feel that if you can’t click on an ad it has no worth.
I think over the next 18 months there will be closer inspection on these types of sites and their ability to monetise through advertising – maybe we’ll have to accept some of them just aren’t very good places to place ads … just becasue you have an audience doesn’t entitle you to build a business putting ads in front of that audience.
I agree with Ben Shepard’s point the ‘in ad’ executions have been limited to date.
If I recall correctly, it is Gartner research that indicated the ‘lack of value to the customer’ is the main reason why social media marketing fails.
To float an idea, perhaps business needs to move away from the attitude ‘it’s the customers privilege to download my branded [insert viral video or widget here]’.
At risk of stating the obvious, I don’t understand why more corporations aim higher to find tools that increase community interactivity and offer greater customer value?
It’s not easy finding the right mix. Corporations need to take on the attitude participating in social media is a constant learning experience.
Mike Hickinbotham
Telstra blogger
http://www.nowwearetalking.com.au/blogs/the-scrum
Ayep – Myspace makes $2.17 per year per member. 99% Advertising.
Cyworld (similar size, but in Asia) makes around $17 per year. And ZERO advertising.
Makes ya think.
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