6 ms·

Zuckerberg bores staff in new Facebook Home ad

40 points by eplanit 14y ago

ereckers 14y ago
Sometimes I wonder how these ads are even signed off on. The spot is a nifty, creative accomplishment for the team that put it together, but as an advert, or product launch message, it's not so good. Basically Facebook paid for another portfolio piece for the members of their ad team.
ndespres 14y ago
It almost feels as though they were trying to beat SNL to the punch on making fun of the new product. I think one of the reasons the Home product rubs me the wrong way is similar to the reason I resent junk-food companies for knowing exactly who their target consumer is, and building a product suited perfectly to taking advantage of the weaknesses of those consumers to move more of their product. Just like the way a nearby television broadcasting commercials starts loud and with a flash, designed to pull your eye in. This product takes advantage of the brain's weakness for bright, shiny moving things, instant reward of an image flashing with a sound effect when you complete the desired action ("liking" something). Users won't be able to put it down. It feels cheap.
- unholyalliance 14y ago
  Perhaps we should prevent Facebook from airing ads, like we do for Marlboro.
  - mh- 14y ago
    you're free to do that now: outbid them, with your money, for all of the advertising spots. then you can promote whatever you want - until someone else comes along and decides to obstruct you, of course.
    - unalone 14y ago
      That's facetious and doesn't address OP's point, which is that certain industries are banned from advertising their products in certain ways when said products could harm their users. I don't agree that Facebook is necessarily at the point where we can call it harmful, but your "all you need to do is outbid Facebook" spiel is some smarmy nonsense – not least of which because Facebook itself owns some premier adspace outright, which it's more than willing to use to spam whatever new product of theirs that they'd like.
  - ndespres 14y ago
    Facebook IS the ad.
sixQuarks 14y ago
not sure this is the message you want to send out there. Use our app, so that you never pay attention to ANYTHING
- solistice 14y ago
  But then that's roughly the reason why we drink. So that we don't have to pay attention to anything, so that we can forget things (yes, there's responsible drinking too, but so is there responsible usage of social media). Tim Feriss formulated it nicely as the information addict. Is addiction healthy? No. Are there adicts out there? Yes.
Irishsteve 14y ago
I was left with the feeling that facebook home is the exact same as the facebook app
- Kequc 14y ago
  From what I understand I've been lucky not to use the Facebook app. This ad told me exactly nothing about anything regarding why I should.
  - untog 14y ago
    Oh, you reject Facebook and don't feel like you need it in your life? Please, tell me more
    - Kequc 14y ago
      I don't understand the source of this sarcasm. Facebook is a waste of everyone's time, energy and everything else. This ad contributes nothing and exemplifies that. Are you saying people DO need Facebook in their life? Because I've been mounds happier without it.
      - onedev 14y ago
        Yes people do need it in their lives to communicate. It's a fantastic tool if you use it like one.
kghose 14y ago
It's actually a pretty good ad. No comment about product.
webwielder 14y ago
Microsoft's original campaign for WP7 focused on the idea that it let you check your phone quickly and then get back to real life. This commercial is all about shutting out reality. I have a feeling about which message is going to resonate more with people.
- shin_lao 14y ago
  That's because for most people reality sucks. Well played Facebook.
  - Shamanmuni 14y ago
    But if what you say is true, the ad shows that working for Facebook sucks too. I don't think that was played very well.
    - shin_lao 14y ago
      It's not working at Facebook that sucks: it's obviously cool because... It's Facebook! What sucks is listening to the boss. "lol" I think the target audience is very young. Facebook strategy is probably very long term, playing on the fact that young people grew up with Facebook.
      - mcintyre1994 14y ago
        I'm not entirely convinced about that strategy. In the long term, them young people's kids are going to see Facebook as their parent's social network. I don't see that being a good thing for Facebook.
        unholyalliance 14y ago
        I think they already do, and that's why they are using things like snapchat, whatsapp, and tumblr instead.
        14y ago
Shamanmuni 14y ago
It continues to amaze me how Facebook is so popular when they don't seem to have a clue about human communication. First comparing the service to a chair (really?!), now showing their CEO and public face as a boring guy who nobody pays attention to and its developers as having attention deficit disorder. I know I'm not their target audience, but I wonder if any Facebook user thinks this ad is cool or funny. My inner teen thinks it's lame.
JasonFruit 14y ago
Was that Sublime Text on Joey's monitor?
kayoone 14y ago
All monitors seem to show the same screen (probably an image). Does anyone recognize the editor running ?
jerrya 14y ago
Seriously, it made me think that guy needed a new job. I do remember being that young and finding jobs that didn't suck so hard I had to spend all my time distracting myself from the job itself. I was not going to be one of those guys that needed 5 cups of coffee a day just to stay awake at work. I mean, come on, 8, 10, 12 hours per day, 5 days a week, 50ish weeks a year. Soon it adds up to a real lifetime. Find yourself something to do that you find interesting, young facebook dweebs. Give up the damn money programming pointless apps, it seems to be sucking your souls away.
- solistice 14y ago
  8 hours of 24 is 33% 10 hours of 24 is 41% 12 hours of 24 is 50% 5 days out of 7 is 71% ergo [8]=21% [10]=29% [12]=35% so that's the percentages of a week you spend at work 50 weeks out of 52 is 96% which, calculated onto the previous values should be a reduction of a bit more than a rounding error. So with 8 to 12 hour workdays, you'll spend around 30% of your time at work.
DividesByZero 14y ago
This ad was actually pretty scary - Facebook seems to be actively encouraging a culture of active and constant distraction. I don't think that society has really learned to handle being bomabrded with always-on distractions yet and this seems to push the idea aggressively.
- eslaught 14y ago
  I think pg's Stuff essays is relevant here: http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html Facebook is just a new trend we'll have to resist as a society. The current generation will probably succumb to it, but give it another 50 years or so and society will find ways to manage time on Facebook such that it doesn't interfere too much with our functioning.
  - DividesByZero 14y ago
    Assuming society can actually find time without being distracted. No doubt we'll adapt, but at what cost?
- hkmurakami 14y ago
  One that employers (at least those which are obsessed with keeping their employees off of services like FB) aren't going to have any control over either, since everyone now carries around alternate computing devices that are outside of the company's IT jurisdiction.
  - DividesByZero 14y ago
    This isn't really about control or enforcement, it has to be about fundamental ideas in how society deals with this kind of technology.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
axx 14y ago
Is it just me, or does the guy that jumps in to the pool look like John Gruber?
RexRollman 14y ago
This reminds me a lot of the old days of Windows 3.1, when you had third party shells out there like HP's NewWave. I can't recall any of them having any long term success.
kostya-kow 14y ago
A lot of people on HN don't like this ad because they are not the target audience. This ad is not made to hire new employees. Most effective advertisements are not logical and don't have good argument, because they are aimed the lowest common denominator. The target audience for this ad is probably the kind of people who have shitty jobs which they hate, and they are not enthusiastic Hackers who love their jobs.
moron4hire 14y ago
Did anyone else notice that this depiction of Facebook's office where their programmers work looks kind of like a sweatshop?
joshguthrie 14y ago
I'm gonna go ahead and say it: Worst. Ad. Ever.

40 points by eplanit 14y ago

Sometimes I wonder how these ads are even signed off on. The spot is a nifty, creative accomplishment for the team that put it together, but as an advert, or product launch message, it's not so good. Basically Facebook paid for another portfolio piece for the members of their ad team.

ndespres 14y ago

It almost feels as though they were trying to beat SNL to the punch on making fun of the new product. I think one of the reasons the Home product rubs me the wrong way is similar to the reason I resent junk-food companies for knowing exactly who their target consumer is, and building a product suited perfectly to taking advantage of the weaknesses of those consumers to move more of their product. Just like the way a nearby television broadcasting commercials starts loud and with a flash, designed to pull your eye in. This product takes advantage of the brain's weakness for bright, shiny moving things, instant reward of an image flashing with a sound effect when you complete the desired action ("liking" something). Users won't be able to put it down. It feels cheap.

unholyalliance 14y ago
Perhaps we should prevent Facebook from airing ads, like we do for Marlboro.
- mh- 14y ago
  you're free to do that now: outbid them, with your money, for all of the advertising spots. then you can promote whatever you want - until someone else comes along and decides to obstruct you, of course.
  - unalone 14y ago
    That's facetious and doesn't address OP's point, which is that certain industries are banned from advertising their products in certain ways when said products could harm their users. I don't agree that Facebook is necessarily at the point where we can call it harmful, but your "all you need to do is outbid Facebook" spiel is some smarmy nonsense – not least of which because Facebook itself owns some premier adspace outright, which it's more than willing to use to spam whatever new product of theirs that they'd like.
- ndespres 14y ago
  Facebook IS the ad.

sixQuarks 14y ago

not sure this is the message you want to send out there. Use our app, so that you never pay attention to ANYTHING

solistice 14y ago
But then that's roughly the reason why we drink. So that we don't have to pay attention to anything, so that we can forget things (yes, there's responsible drinking too, but so is there responsible usage of social media). Tim Feriss formulated it nicely as the information addict. Is addiction healthy? No. Are there adicts out there? Yes.

Irishsteve 14y ago

I was left with the feeling that facebook home is the exact same as the facebook app

Kequc 14y ago
From what I understand I've been lucky not to use the Facebook app. This ad told me exactly nothing about anything regarding why I should.
- untog 14y ago
  Oh, you reject Facebook and don't feel like you need it in your life? Please, tell me more
  - Kequc 14y ago
    I don't understand the source of this sarcasm. Facebook is a waste of everyone's time, energy and everything else. This ad contributes nothing and exemplifies that. Are you saying people DO need Facebook in their life? Because I've been mounds happier without it.
    - onedev 14y ago
      Yes people do need it in their lives to communicate. It's a fantastic tool if you use it like one.

kghose 14y ago

It's actually a pretty good ad. No comment about product.

webwielder 14y ago

Microsoft's original campaign for WP7 focused on the idea that it let you check your phone quickly and then get back to real life. This commercial is all about shutting out reality. I have a feeling about which message is going to resonate more with people.

shin_lao 14y ago
That's because for most people reality sucks. Well played Facebook.
- Shamanmuni 14y ago
  But if what you say is true, the ad shows that working for Facebook sucks too. I don't think that was played very well.
  - shin_lao 14y ago
    It's not working at Facebook that sucks: it's obviously cool because... It's Facebook! What sucks is listening to the boss. "lol" I think the target audience is very young. Facebook strategy is probably very long term, playing on the fact that young people grew up with Facebook.
    - mcintyre1994 14y ago
      I'm not entirely convinced about that strategy. In the long term, them young people's kids are going to see Facebook as their parent's social network. I don't see that being a good thing for Facebook.
      - unholyalliance 14y ago
        I think they already do, and that's why they are using things like snapchat, whatsapp, and tumblr instead.
        14y ago

Shamanmuni 14y ago

It continues to amaze me how Facebook is so popular when they don't seem to have a clue about human communication. First comparing the service to a chair (really?!), now showing their CEO and public face as a boring guy who nobody pays attention to and its developers as having attention deficit disorder. I know I'm not their target audience, but I wonder if any Facebook user thinks this ad is cool or funny. My inner teen thinks it's lame.

JasonFruit 14y ago

Was that Sublime Text on Joey's monitor?

kayoone 14y ago

All monitors seem to show the same screen (probably an image). Does anyone recognize the editor running ?

jerrya 14y ago

Seriously, it made me think that guy needed a new job. I do remember being that young and finding jobs that didn't suck so hard I had to spend all my time distracting myself from the job itself. I was not going to be one of those guys that needed 5 cups of coffee a day just to stay awake at work. I mean, come on, 8, 10, 12 hours per day, 5 days a week, 50ish weeks a year. Soon it adds up to a real lifetime. Find yourself something to do that you find interesting, young facebook dweebs. Give up the damn money programming pointless apps, it seems to be sucking your souls away.

solistice 14y ago
8 hours of 24 is 33% 10 hours of 24 is 41% 12 hours of 24 is 50% 5 days out of 7 is 71% ergo [8]=21% [10]=29% [12]=35% so that's the percentages of a week you spend at work 50 weeks out of 52 is 96% which, calculated onto the previous values should be a reduction of a bit more than a rounding error. So with 8 to 12 hour workdays, you'll spend around 30% of your time at work.

DividesByZero 14y ago

This ad was actually pretty scary - Facebook seems to be actively encouraging a culture of active and constant distraction. I don't think that society has really learned to handle being bomabrded with always-on distractions yet and this seems to push the idea aggressively.

eslaught 14y ago
I think pg's Stuff essays is relevant here: http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html Facebook is just a new trend we'll have to resist as a society. The current generation will probably succumb to it, but give it another 50 years or so and society will find ways to manage time on Facebook such that it doesn't interfere too much with our functioning.
- DividesByZero 14y ago
  Assuming society can actually find time without being distracted. No doubt we'll adapt, but at what cost?
hkmurakami 14y ago
One that employers (at least those which are obsessed with keeping their employees off of services like FB) aren't going to have any control over either, since everyone now carries around alternate computing devices that are outside of the company's IT jurisdiction.
- DividesByZero 14y ago
  This isn't really about control or enforcement, it has to be about fundamental ideas in how society deals with this kind of technology.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

axx 14y ago

Is it just me, or does the guy that jumps in to the pool look like John Gruber?

RexRollman 14y ago

This reminds me a lot of the old days of Windows 3.1, when you had third party shells out there like HP's NewWave. I can't recall any of them having any long term success.

kostya-kow 14y ago

A lot of people on HN don't like this ad because they are not the target audience. This ad is not made to hire new employees. Most effective advertisements are not logical and don't have good argument, because they are aimed the lowest common denominator. The target audience for this ad is probably the kind of people who have shitty jobs which they hate, and they are not enthusiastic Hackers who love their jobs.

moron4hire 14y ago

Did anyone else notice that this depiction of Facebook's office where their programmers work looks kind of like a sweatshop?

joshguthrie 14y ago

I'm gonna go ahead and say it: Worst. Ad. Ever.