Facebook Unveils Bandwidth Targeting

Facebook is bolstering its ad targeting capabilities, as the social network has just launched bandwidth targeting to allow advertisers to reach people based on network connection.

While Facebook already offers the ability to reach people based on the type of device they use, device model and operating system, the social network will now allow advertisers to reach people based on network connection including 2G, 3G or 4G. This new capability will allow advertisers to better segment consumers and create better ad experiences.

"For example, serving a video ad to people in Indonesia with 2G connections may mean wasted impressions if people are unable to load the video or it buffers for minutes when clicked," states the Facebook announcement. "Optimizing the creative - for instance, targeting a video campaign to people with high-speed connections, and swapping in an image or link ad for people with slower connections - means ads can perform more efficiently for the people seeing them."

Facebook notes that paying attention to the details of how people connect can also help advertisers create better performing and more relevant localized campaigns. For instance, if a device manufacturer wants to target people who are ready to upgrade their phone, the manufacturer could target an audience of people that use feature phones and are accessing a slower network.

Bandwidth targeting is available to all advertisers via the Ad Create tool, Power Editor and the API. According to Facebook, this new capability should improve the experience people have with Facebook ads, as it allows advertisers to better optimize the ads they deliver to consumers.