Have you ever felt confused, annoyed, offended or angered by a Facebook ad? If so, you're going to love this story.
Teresa Valdez Klein is one of my favorite people. I first met at a conference she organized in December 2007 in Seattle. It was all about Facebook, and I spoke on a Facebook Curmudgeons panel. Since then, Teresa and I have remained friends and shared conversation on topics big and small. I just checked out her Ignite presentation about subverting Facebook ads, and with the strongest endorsement, I urge you to do the same.
The Problem:
Teresa was feeling pressured by the hyper-targeted, often sexist Facebook ads rubbing her nose in the fact that she wasn't engaged or married, that she needed to lose weight and that she was doomed. Here's a sample
The Solution:
With the democratization of marketing made possible by Facebook's self-service ad model, Teresa made her own ads targeting women. She describes them as ads "telling women the things I wish somebody had told me." Here's a sample.
The Presentation.
It's five minutes. Watch it.
Conclusion:
As someone who has done a fair amount of media hacking myself (Twitter Swine Flu, Foursquare mayoral campaign, etc), I'm already a fan of the method, but the message itself is so worthwhile I can only express my utmost pride and respect for Teresa's work. Well done!
You can see Teresa's post on Feministing Community as well
