Facebook’s new “promote” option is causing one company to go from being ” in a relationship” with Facebook to “single”.
Facebook’s response to the breakup letter is making more companies rethink their current relationship status with the once ” go-to” social media platform.
Facebook received an official breakup letter from Eat24, a food delivery company based out of San Bruno, California. In the letter Eat24 addresses their disapproval for the way Facebook has implemented their new business practices, and the lack of attention these new practices bring to companies using Facebook as a way to reach prospective customers.
What exactly is it Eat24 had an issue with? The most important issue they addressed was Facebook’s new ” promote” option, which allows people to pay to have their status updates more visible to their friends and followers. Eat24 currently has 70,000 Facebook followers, but still feels as though Facebook’s new focus on money is unfair, and not a business practice they want to work with.
In the letter, Eat24 focuses on the change Facebook has made throughout the years and that it is not the company they once had started doing business with . They discussed how Facebook has gone from an outlet for people to connect on, to an overall advertising site that focuses heavily on money.
“Dear Facebook, Hey. It’s Eat24. Look, we need to talk. This isn’t easy to say since we’ve been together so long, but we need to break up. We’d love to say ‘It’s not you, it’s us’ but it’s totally you. Not to be rude, but you aren’t the smart, funny social network we fell in love with several years back. You’ve changed. A lot. Makes us think all you care about is money. Why should we have to wade through a dozen promoted posts about how to lose belly fat (are you trying to tell us something?) and requests for Candy Crush (NO! Just no.) and suggesting we like our arch nemesis’ page (seriously, WTF) before we can finally find the perfect Doge meme? It really seems like you’ve lost your way and have become nothing more than an ad platform.” says Eat24.
After Facebook received the very blunt breakup letter, the head of their communications department, Brandon McCormick, thought it would be a good idea to appropriately respond. In his response he apologized for any changes Eat24 didn’t agree on, but ” times are changing”. McCormick discussed how Eat24 needed to focus more on their overall image before being so concerned with their Facebook ranking. McCormick addressed Eat24’s frequent references to 420, which is known to younger generations as the holiday for smoking marijuana. Along with references to 420, he also addressed Eat24’s comments about advertising on porn sites, and their television ad which featured a bears penis.
McCormick didn’t specifically address the changes happening with “promoting” your status, but he did discuss the changes in algorithms. He also stated people didn’t often get on Facebook to look at status updates from companies, they got on for more personal purposes. McCormick continued by saying people want to pictures of their friends, the weddings they couldn’t attend, reconnect to people they had once been close to, and inform others of their own personal successes; not look status’s about the speediness of their food delivery.
“So we are sorry that we have to part this way because we think we could still be friends — really we do. But we totally respect you if you need some space.” stated McCormick.
As abrupt as Eat24’s breakup letter was, their concerns were stemming from a very reasonable place. Over the course of the last year Facebook has been making an effort to limit how many ads are promoted on peoples news feeds. In October 2013, companies post were reaching 12% of their followers. As of February 2014, companies post are now only reaching 6% of followers.
Eat24 has since mentioned many other social media platforms they can use to connect with current and potential customers. One of the main ones they touched on was Instagram. What Eat24 didn’t realize when trying to “stick it to” Facebook, is Facebook owns Instagram. Along with Instagram, the company mentioned using Twitter. They said they feel as though Twitter is just as popular ( if not more so) than Facebook, and they practice under free and fair policies.
It will be interesting to see what the future of Facebook entails. The next few months will be very telling of its success or maybe even sorrow.
YOLO 