28 ms·

Facebook blocks Google+ ads

84 points by tim_sw 15y ago

erikb 15y ago
You would never expect to find Mercedes ads on BMW's website. Also everybody knows that u don't need to look for Windows advertisments on apple.com. So I think it is also quite normal, that Facebook doesn't want to advertise G+ on their website.
- pyre 15y ago
  Those comparisons aren't quite the same. BMW and Apple don't sell generic ad space on their sites.
  - Xlythe 15y ago
    No, but even sites that do sell generic ad space have ads they don't want shown (Porn, competitors, things that would reduce the brand name).
    - pyre 15y ago
      Things that you don't want and things that you'll allow are separate sets, not guaranteed to have full intersection.
      - Xlythe 15y ago
        Perhaps not, but after working for an advertising company the two overlap greatly.
- scrrr 15y ago
  Indeed. But on the other hand I don't think Google would disallow or block ads for Facebook. Their strategies differ. Google thrives with an open web, Facebook is a walled garden. But yeah, no scandal here.
  - j79 15y ago
    Considering their primary source of revenue[1] is from advertising, I wouldn't think Google would disallow or block ads from Facebook (or anyone with a competing product, to be honest...) [1] AdWords - Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdWords http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdWords
    - amitagrawal 15y ago
      I think Facebook's primary source of revenue is advertising too. Facebook is taking the stance what Microsoft took a few years ago - getting in the way of it's users and making choices on behalf of them. On the other hand by being open, Google has made a ton of money from it's competitors like Groupon which spends a big chunk advertising on Google. I don't know if Facebook has made an official comment on this but from here on I think things might get interesting.
    - muuh-gnu 15y ago
      Facebooks primary revenue source also is advertizing. And they generally do not seem opposed to other sites (competing with them for users) linking to them (they've littered half the net with their like buttons), only vice versa.
  - rbarooah 15y ago
    What exactly is more 'open web' about Google+ than Facebook? It seems to be focussed on keeping you on Google properties - not linking different sites together. It seems to me that twitter are the ones supporting the open web now.
- ignifero 15y ago
  Amusingly, if you visit mercedes benz usa http://www.mbusa.com http://www.mbusa.com they have vic gundotra in the frontpage. Your hypothesis would be valid if facebook wasnt running an open ads platform. Would it be OK to ban the political ads they don't like either?
- sek 15y ago
  Microsoft does a lot of advertising on Google sites.
  - tluyben2 15y ago
    Indeed; was coming here to say that. If you have the strong belief you are the best (and you should) then you don't care; it's income and the competitor is not as good as you anyway.
- ugh 15y ago
  I know quite a few newspapers that have no problem selling ad space to their competitors and have done just that. Your comparison to companies that don’t even sell ad space doesn’t make any sense. This is an astonishing display of cowardice on Facebook’s part (if it is indeed true).
  - Helianthus 15y ago
    I think that hits the nail on the head. If Facebook were brazenly advertising Google+ as if they had no fear, I'd think that a proper bit of cheek. Of course, they're probably looking at actual click-through rates and realizing that's not worth it...
  - nhebb 15y ago
    If I google "facebook games" I see a few AdWords listed. If a Google user clicks those ads, it's not like that will drive the user away from Google search. But if someone on Facebook has an ad that reads "Julio Fernandez moved to Google+ ...", then that is driving users away from Facebook. I don't see why a company should facilitate a mass exodus toward a competing service. I don't use Facebook and think they're kind of creepy, but I can't fault them for this.
    - perlpimp 15y ago
      Google+ is not Facebook. Nor it will ever be. The only hope google has is not to make a better facebook, but to change rules of the game. There will be no exodus from facebook. Evolution moves at its own pace, regardless of facebook or google. Only those that go in step with evolution will flourish. As such exodus from facebook will never happen. Though young and bright - most lucrative section of advertising market might just go and do something else. Restriction seems to always backfire as in this case, it may well play out. just 2c
      - Daniel_Newby 15y ago
        Downvotes should be reserved for off-topic or badly-expressed comments. If you disagree, click "reply" and educate me. There will be no exodus from facebook. It is likely that this ad ban was instigated by watching Facebook pageviews plummet, and by watching contagious defection spread through their userbase.
- albertzeyer 15y ago
  Well, you have these: http://www.facebook.com/Microsoft http://www.facebook.com/Microsoft http://www.facebook.com/Google http://www.facebook.com/Google http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-Inc/105596369475033 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-Inc/105596369475033 Etc. This is quite common for many companies to have some sort of representation on FaceBook. And they try to advertise themselves there. And people can FB-like them etc.
- philjackson 15y ago
  BMW don't have an advertising network, nor any third-party adverts on their site. Not sure your comparison is a good one...
- chopsueyar 15y ago
  You can advertise on BMW's website using CPC or CPM? Where is the signup form?
- peacemaker 15y ago
  I completely agree. It's crazy to think that Facebook would willingly advertise a major competitor during its launch period! It's minor ad revenue vs users and I think users win here.
- spacemanaki 15y ago
  Those comparisons aren't quite appropriate because as far as I can tell, these are individuals advertising their G+ profiles on FB, not Google advertising the entire G+ product.
- Daniel_Newby 15y ago
  Also everybody knows that u don't need to look for Windows advertisments on apple.com. VMware Fusion: http://store.apple.com/us/product/TX501LL/A http://store.apple.com/us/product/TX501LL/A VMware View for iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vmware-view-for-ipad/id417993697?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vmware-view-for-ipad/id417993...
atarian 15y ago
It's now on Techcrunch: http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/15/google-ad-on-facebook-is-banned/ http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/15/google-ad-on-facebook-is-ba...
ignifero 15y ago
I find it disappointing that people find that reaction acceptable. Just like the fact that facebook bans Adsense ads in apps. Unless facebook can come up with an excuse such as "Your ad violates the trademarks of google" this is a ridiculously childish reaction.
law 15y ago
If Facebook were confident that they make a better product, they'd embrace competition as a sort of self-check in the system. They'd spend a day or two to adapt their already-developed you-can-download-your-whole-account feature to allow customers to switch to Google+, if they desire. But they won't do this. Their reluctance underscores their belief that they don't make a product superior to Google's; if they did, they'd have no problem with these advertisements.
- skarayan 15y ago
  In my opinion, a reason for concern is different than believing their product is inferior. At the end of the day, this is business. In business, there are many ways to battle the competition. G+ is clearly gaining some initial traction and Facebook doesn't want their platform to be used to better the competition.
  - law 15y ago
    I think it's more nuanced than that. Facebook's reputation and brand equity is perhaps their second most cherished asset (second to their user base). A move like blocking Google advertisements will result in even more bad press when they really need to focus on delivering a better product. In the end, however, I think Facebook will become obsolete. It's a technology like any other, and I think it has become too big for it to be everything to everyone. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
Klonoar 15y ago
Facebook is a damn business, Google+ is competition. The fact that this ad was blocked isn't really news, it's just how business plays out. It's not in Facebook's interest at all to run this. I routinely find myself astonished at how people think the online world should work. Everything should be free, don't charge for anything, let your competitors advertise in your space, ads are the devil, business plan is to make money through advertising... seriously people, the hell?
- code_duck 15y ago
  Perhaps you should glance at the article before posting - the ad is an individual advertising his own profile.
  - Klonoar 15y ago
    I'm well aware of what the article says, thanks. If I ran a Ford lot, I wouldn't want someone selling their Chevy on it, as it can send any number of messages that downplay the quality and/or relevancy of my wares. This is business, plain and simple.
    - nuclear_eclipse 15y ago
      Except I see plenty of car dealers that sell used cars from different manufacturers on their lot. There's even an Acura dealer in my town who dedicates the entire front row of their lot to selling used cars that are always something other than an Acura. To a dealer, a car sale is a car sale.
- haberman 15y ago
  What competitor's ads do Google block? People respond to a story like this because it belies an attitude of weakness/protectionism from Facebook, not so much because of some kind of moral outrage about how things "should" be.
  - Klonoar 15y ago
    This is different; Google created an advertisement solution for the entire web and pushed it as such, necessitating that it be fairly open and non-judging. Facebook's exists solely on their website, and while some will try to argue that Facebook has by and large become "the web" for people, the point is that it's still their site, their rules, their game, and in turn you play by their rules. They don't hide this fact in the slightest. It's simply good business for Facebook to block these ads.
dendory 15y ago
Not approving ads for G+ I can understand. However Facebook has a history of blocking shares, even through private messages, of any site they don't like, and that's wrong
orijing 15y ago
No one here mentioned the likely reason that the ads were blocked by the ad review system (a combination of ML and people in India or something). I don't know exactly how it works, but I'm pretty sure it is risky for Facebook to allow ads to run with trademarks that the advertiser does not own. The Google+ logo is a trademark. Can he try running an ad with just his face? It still might get disabled (in which case it probably is for competitive reasons) but I suspect that would take a lot longer... Especially if he doesn't say Google+. "I have moved to another social network. Click here to find me now" would likely get past filters.
- reso 15y ago
  A million times this. I bet, with their volume, very few ads would make it to the human-review stage at Facebook. This was most likely caught by an automated filter that didn't like something (e.g., the trademark image) about the ad. Never attribute to malice what can easily be attributed to stupidity, or in this case, naive artificial intelligence.
  - ig1 15y ago
    All new Facebook ads are manually approved.
  - patrickaljord 15y ago
    They can just check for the link to google+, no need for a fancy image filter for that...
B0Z 15y ago
Konoar, you are wrong. What others have noted here needs to be considered. It's not the fact that Facebook is blocking ads that point to google plus, it's that they (apparently) have chosen a particular competitor and applied a completely different set of rules that others are not bound to. That, by definition is anti-competitive. I'm not lawyer, and certainly wikipedia should be taken with a healthy dose of common sense, but these are the first two sentences of the entry on United States antitrust law: "The United States antitrust law is the body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior (monopoly) and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_antitrust_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_antitrust_law Antitrust is EXACTLY the same thing that Google is now being investigated for by the department of justice... by promoting an unfair pricing / ranking schematic against competitors by ensuring their own ads are listed higher than those of the competition. (Yelp, I believe). If I were facebook, would I find a way to stop Google+ ads? You're damned right I would, but I would be subject to the same scrutiny of those who comment here. This is not a no-brainer. This is a big deal.
oppo 15y ago
When did hacker news become so sensationalist? "My Facebook ad is live! Last night I found a message from +Michael Lee Johnson where he mentioned that his Facebook ad promoting his Google+ account was suspended after running for about an hour. I wanted to find out if Facebook would approve my ad. Any publisher can refuse any ad they want, and Facebook's advertising guidelines make it clear that they can "refuse ads at any time for any reason, including our determination that they promote competing products or services or negatively affect our business or relationship with our users." Since +Mark Zuckerberg said that he did not see Google+ as a competing product, I wanted to test their advertising guidelines and it looks like Mark was right. Facebook does not see Google+ as a competing product as my ad was approved. Now they can take my $ from the clicks of my ad. Congrats Facebook, but I still want my friends to know I moved to: http://Profiles.Google.com/SocialJulio http://Profiles.Google.com/SocialJulio " Not to mention there are probably issues with trademarks and running ads to a specific person (a friend tried to link to his own profile and his ad was blocked).
ig1 15y ago
I'd be curious if they'd allow such an ad for a Facebook profile, possibly they disallowed it because it was inappropriate to the target user group (for example you're not allowed to target dating sites to people in a relationship). Especially if the guy chose to run it as CPC, Facebook will have no commercial interest in running an ad which will get a negligible amount of clicks.
jangozo 15y ago
its pretty interesting where this war will go ... pretty much gplus is taking a good market share this time :)

84 points by tim_sw 15y ago

erikb 15y ago

You would never expect to find Mercedes ads on BMW's website. Also everybody knows that u don't need to look for Windows advertisments on apple.com. So I think it is also quite normal, that Facebook doesn't want to advertise G+ on their website.

pyre 15y ago
Those comparisons aren't quite the same. BMW and Apple don't sell generic ad space on their sites.
- Xlythe 15y ago
  No, but even sites that do sell generic ad space have ads they don't want shown (Porn, competitors, things that would reduce the brand name).
  - pyre 15y ago
    Things that you don't want and things that you'll allow are separate sets, not guaranteed to have full intersection.
    - Xlythe 15y ago
      Perhaps not, but after working for an advertising company the two overlap greatly.
scrrr 15y ago
Indeed. But on the other hand I don't think Google would disallow or block ads for Facebook. Their strategies differ. Google thrives with an open web, Facebook is a walled garden. But yeah, no scandal here.
- j79 15y ago
  Considering their primary source of revenue[1] is from advertising, I wouldn't think Google would disallow or block ads from Facebook (or anyone with a competing product, to be honest...) [1] AdWords - Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdWords http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdWords
  - amitagrawal 15y ago
    I think Facebook's primary source of revenue is advertising too. Facebook is taking the stance what Microsoft took a few years ago - getting in the way of it's users and making choices on behalf of them. On the other hand by being open, Google has made a ton of money from it's competitors like Groupon which spends a big chunk advertising on Google. I don't know if Facebook has made an official comment on this but from here on I think things might get interesting.
  - muuh-gnu 15y ago
    Facebooks primary revenue source also is advertizing. And they generally do not seem opposed to other sites (competing with them for users) linking to them (they've littered half the net with their like buttons), only vice versa.
- rbarooah 15y ago
  What exactly is more 'open web' about Google+ than Facebook? It seems to be focussed on keeping you on Google properties - not linking different sites together. It seems to me that twitter are the ones supporting the open web now.
ignifero 15y ago
Amusingly, if you visit mercedes benz usa http://www.mbusa.com http://www.mbusa.com they have vic gundotra in the frontpage. Your hypothesis would be valid if facebook wasnt running an open ads platform. Would it be OK to ban the political ads they don't like either?
sek 15y ago
Microsoft does a lot of advertising on Google sites.
- tluyben2 15y ago
  Indeed; was coming here to say that. If you have the strong belief you are the best (and you should) then you don't care; it's income and the competitor is not as good as you anyway.
ugh 15y ago
I know quite a few newspapers that have no problem selling ad space to their competitors and have done just that. Your comparison to companies that don’t even sell ad space doesn’t make any sense. This is an astonishing display of cowardice on Facebook’s part (if it is indeed true).
- Helianthus 15y ago
  I think that hits the nail on the head. If Facebook were brazenly advertising Google+ as if they had no fear, I'd think that a proper bit of cheek. Of course, they're probably looking at actual click-through rates and realizing that's not worth it...
- nhebb 15y ago
  If I google "facebook games" I see a few AdWords listed. If a Google user clicks those ads, it's not like that will drive the user away from Google search. But if someone on Facebook has an ad that reads "Julio Fernandez moved to Google+ ...", then that is driving users away from Facebook. I don't see why a company should facilitate a mass exodus toward a competing service. I don't use Facebook and think they're kind of creepy, but I can't fault them for this.
  - perlpimp 15y ago
    Google+ is not Facebook. Nor it will ever be. The only hope google has is not to make a better facebook, but to change rules of the game. There will be no exodus from facebook. Evolution moves at its own pace, regardless of facebook or google. Only those that go in step with evolution will flourish. As such exodus from facebook will never happen. Though young and bright - most lucrative section of advertising market might just go and do something else. Restriction seems to always backfire as in this case, it may well play out. just 2c
    - Daniel_Newby 15y ago
      Downvotes should be reserved for off-topic or badly-expressed comments. If you disagree, click "reply" and educate me. There will be no exodus from facebook. It is likely that this ad ban was instigated by watching Facebook pageviews plummet, and by watching contagious defection spread through their userbase.
albertzeyer 15y ago
Well, you have these: http://www.facebook.com/Microsoft http://www.facebook.com/Microsoft http://www.facebook.com/Google http://www.facebook.com/Google http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-Inc/105596369475033 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apple-Inc/105596369475033 Etc. This is quite common for many companies to have some sort of representation on FaceBook. And they try to advertise themselves there. And people can FB-like them etc.
philjackson 15y ago
BMW don't have an advertising network, nor any third-party adverts on their site. Not sure your comparison is a good one...
chopsueyar 15y ago
You can advertise on BMW's website using CPC or CPM? Where is the signup form?
peacemaker 15y ago
I completely agree. It's crazy to think that Facebook would willingly advertise a major competitor during its launch period! It's minor ad revenue vs users and I think users win here.
spacemanaki 15y ago
Those comparisons aren't quite appropriate because as far as I can tell, these are individuals advertising their G+ profiles on FB, not Google advertising the entire G+ product.
Daniel_Newby 15y ago
Also everybody knows that u don't need to look for Windows advertisments on apple.com. VMware Fusion: http://store.apple.com/us/product/TX501LL/A http://store.apple.com/us/product/TX501LL/A VMware View for iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vmware-view-for-ipad/id417993697?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vmware-view-for-ipad/id417993...

atarian 15y ago

It's now on Techcrunch: http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/15/google-ad-on-facebook-is-banned/ http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/15/google-ad-on-facebook-is-ba...

ignifero 15y ago

I find it disappointing that people find that reaction acceptable. Just like the fact that facebook bans Adsense ads in apps. Unless facebook can come up with an excuse such as "Your ad violates the trademarks of google" this is a ridiculously childish reaction.

law 15y ago

If Facebook were confident that they make a better product, they'd embrace competition as a sort of self-check in the system. They'd spend a day or two to adapt their already-developed you-can-download-your-whole-account feature to allow customers to switch to Google+, if they desire. But they won't do this. Their reluctance underscores their belief that they don't make a product superior to Google's; if they did, they'd have no problem with these advertisements.

skarayan 15y ago
In my opinion, a reason for concern is different than believing their product is inferior. At the end of the day, this is business. In business, there are many ways to battle the competition. G+ is clearly gaining some initial traction and Facebook doesn't want their platform to be used to better the competition.
- law 15y ago
  I think it's more nuanced than that. Facebook's reputation and brand equity is perhaps their second most cherished asset (second to their user base). A move like blocking Google advertisements will result in even more bad press when they really need to focus on delivering a better product. In the end, however, I think Facebook will become obsolete. It's a technology like any other, and I think it has become too big for it to be everything to everyone. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

Klonoar 15y ago

Facebook is a damn business, Google+ is competition. The fact that this ad was blocked isn't really news, it's just how business plays out. It's not in Facebook's interest at all to run this. I routinely find myself astonished at how people think the online world should work. Everything should be free, don't charge for anything, let your competitors advertise in your space, ads are the devil, business plan is to make money through advertising... seriously people, the hell?

code_duck 15y ago
Perhaps you should glance at the article before posting - the ad is an individual advertising his own profile.
- Klonoar 15y ago
  I'm well aware of what the article says, thanks. If I ran a Ford lot, I wouldn't want someone selling their Chevy on it, as it can send any number of messages that downplay the quality and/or relevancy of my wares. This is business, plain and simple.
  - nuclear_eclipse 15y ago
    Except I see plenty of car dealers that sell used cars from different manufacturers on their lot. There's even an Acura dealer in my town who dedicates the entire front row of their lot to selling used cars that are always something other than an Acura. To a dealer, a car sale is a car sale.
haberman 15y ago
What competitor's ads do Google block? People respond to a story like this because it belies an attitude of weakness/protectionism from Facebook, not so much because of some kind of moral outrage about how things "should" be.
- Klonoar 15y ago
  This is different; Google created an advertisement solution for the entire web and pushed it as such, necessitating that it be fairly open and non-judging. Facebook's exists solely on their website, and while some will try to argue that Facebook has by and large become "the web" for people, the point is that it's still their site, their rules, their game, and in turn you play by their rules. They don't hide this fact in the slightest. It's simply good business for Facebook to block these ads.

dendory 15y ago

Not approving ads for G+ I can understand. However Facebook has a history of blocking shares, even through private messages, of any site they don't like, and that's wrong

orijing 15y ago

No one here mentioned the likely reason that the ads were blocked by the ad review system (a combination of ML and people in India or something). I don't know exactly how it works, but I'm pretty sure it is risky for Facebook to allow ads to run with trademarks that the advertiser does not own. The Google+ logo is a trademark. Can he try running an ad with just his face? It still might get disabled (in which case it probably is for competitive reasons) but I suspect that would take a lot longer... Especially if he doesn't say Google+. "I have moved to another social network. Click here to find me now" would likely get past filters.

reso 15y ago
A million times this. I bet, with their volume, very few ads would make it to the human-review stage at Facebook. This was most likely caught by an automated filter that didn't like something (e.g., the trademark image) about the ad. Never attribute to malice what can easily be attributed to stupidity, or in this case, naive artificial intelligence.
- ig1 15y ago
  All new Facebook ads are manually approved.
- patrickaljord 15y ago
  They can just check for the link to google+, no need for a fancy image filter for that...

B0Z 15y ago

Konoar, you are wrong. What others have noted here needs to be considered. It's not the fact that Facebook is blocking ads that point to google plus, it's that they (apparently) have chosen a particular competitor and applied a completely different set of rules that others are not bound to. That, by definition is anti-competitive. I'm not lawyer, and certainly wikipedia should be taken with a healthy dose of common sense, but these are the first two sentences of the entry on United States antitrust law: "The United States antitrust law is the body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior (monopoly) and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_antitrust_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_antitrust_law Antitrust is EXACTLY the same thing that Google is now being investigated for by the department of justice... by promoting an unfair pricing / ranking schematic against competitors by ensuring their own ads are listed higher than those of the competition. (Yelp, I believe). If I were facebook, would I find a way to stop Google+ ads? You're damned right I would, but I would be subject to the same scrutiny of those who comment here. This is not a no-brainer. This is a big deal.

oppo 15y ago

When did hacker news become so sensationalist? "My Facebook ad is live! Last night I found a message from +Michael Lee Johnson where he mentioned that his Facebook ad promoting his Google+ account was suspended after running for about an hour. I wanted to find out if Facebook would approve my ad. Any publisher can refuse any ad they want, and Facebook's advertising guidelines make it clear that they can "refuse ads at any time for any reason, including our determination that they promote competing products or services or negatively affect our business or relationship with our users." Since +Mark Zuckerberg said that he did not see Google+ as a competing product, I wanted to test their advertising guidelines and it looks like Mark was right. Facebook does not see Google+ as a competing product as my ad was approved. Now they can take my $ from the clicks of my ad. Congrats Facebook, but I still want my friends to know I moved to: http://Profiles.Google.com/SocialJulio http://Profiles.Google.com/SocialJulio " Not to mention there are probably issues with trademarks and running ads to a specific person (a friend tried to link to his own profile and his ad was blocked).

ig1 15y ago

I'd be curious if they'd allow such an ad for a Facebook profile, possibly they disallowed it because it was inappropriate to the target user group (for example you're not allowed to target dating sites to people in a relationship). Especially if the guy chose to run it as CPC, Facebook will have no commercial interest in running an ad which will get a negligible amount of clicks.

jangozo 15y ago

its pretty interesting where this war will go ... pretty much gplus is taking a good market share this time :)