The Facebook Roundup: Volume 9

As per usual…

Those that land in our “good” selection are ones which really bring forth best practices, creativity, and effectiveness. The “bad” are ones that had a possibility at potential but weren’t exactly making the cut. For the “worst”, and we mean no hard feelings to those at the bottom of the list, is that special feeling you get when your stomach doesn’t settle (that sudden lump in the back of your throat).

So let’s begin with Volume 9.

The Good

Here’s a company we all know and have used… Amazon.

What makes it good:

• Right off the bat they open with a hook using a massive savings
• Clear picture and also piques interest in this “today’s best deals on Amazon”

… actually, know what made this the top spot despite having some mediocre elements to it all? The timing. This ad came out a week before Christmas and when you think about it there would be no better time to promote this type of product because so many people are visiting family and need an extra bed to sleep. It landed at the perfect time which allowed the ad to push past its faults.

The Bad

Finding its way in the middle for this list is LoyalBlocks which offers a punch card app, free of charge, to those interested in implementing the element into their business.

The reason it’s bad:

• The ad would have been far better if they ran separate campaigns for the types of businesses listed; having it trying to be a one-fits-all takes away from the ability to do proper A/B testing.
• Not quite sure the choice of “phone” in this one; best to go with something recognizable such as an iPhone or one of the popular Android phones.
• When stating the “proven” part of the ad it would have been nice to see some actual numbers stated or use a testimonial from a user instead.

Ultimately this one falls short mainly because of the first bullet point – not tailoring it to specific businesses. There’s a lot going for it but running ads like this can really miss the mark because it’s trying to catch everyone simultaneously.

The Unfortunate

Falling into the bottom for this week is an airline that we’ve all come to know… Southwest. If you haven’t been on one of their flights then do know they are a budget airline so they certainly try to cater to a larger crowd and different segment of the market.

Here’s why it’s the worst of the week:

• The hook is okay but repeated in the image which makes it slightly redundant
• The ‘book our sale fares’ could have been punchier (lots of wasted potential)
• The rest acts like a disclaimer basically taking away from the excitement due to the restrictions, inclusions, seats, and others.

Ultimately the ad falls into the ‘worst’ category for one major reason… there was recently an AirAsia flight which went down so public perception of flying will always become rocky (i.e. scared). It may have been better to hold off until the news cycle dies down about the recent crash; if it weren’t for the terrible timing this would certainly be higher in the list.

Conclusion

What did we learn this week?

A. It’s all about the timing – fit the ad in when the product is most relevant and you’ll automatically draw attention even if you don’t do great on the rest.

B. Stick to creating specific targeting for the campaigns else you lose the opportunity to finely tune your testing and optimization.

C. Well… also about the timing – pay attention to the news cycle to ensure that there aren’t any negative connotations about your product being attached to bad news.

Seen any good, bad, or down-right ugly ads this week? Have thoughts about these ones? Share your feedback with a comment below.