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A research study done on the effects of Facebook advertising within the college-age demographic
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The Effect of Facebook Advertisements on the College‐Aged Demographic A Study by Jill Hollis
Strategic Communications
Dr. Glenn Scott May 6, 2013
Hollis 2
Abstract
With societal reliance on social media platforms for nearly all means of
communication today, people have learned to use networking sites for various types of
interactions. Although created with social purposes, networks such as Facebook have been
repurposed as another means in which advertisers can introduce brands and engage with
consumers. Recent studies have shown both positive and negative outcomes of companies’
advertising endeavors on Facebook. This paper looks to explain the college‐age
demographic group’s interactions with brands and companies on Facebook. Through an
online survey and follow‐up in‐depth interviews, this paper examines peer influence,
interactions with companies, user preferences, and the projected future of Facebook
advertising methods among this demographic group. The findings show that college‐age
Facebook users’ habits are heavily influenced by their peers, specifically when it comes to
interactions with companies or brands.
Introduction
In modern media interactions, people spend much of their time actively avoiding
advertisements. With the invention of DVR came the opportunity to fast‐forward through
television ads, leaving advertisers stranded on how to reach viewers. Now, with the rise of
social media platforms, advertisers have attempted to penetrate every outlet imaginable in
an attempt to get their messages across. With ads on YouTube, pop up ads all over the
Internet, and banner ads on most websites, what, if anything, makes these ads effective?
The first online ad is reported to have been an advertisement for AT&T, sold by the
web magazine HotWired for a price based on the number of impressions – individuals who
saw the ad – which is a traditional method of pricing for most media outlets (Evans, 2009).
Since that time, the evolution of advertising has reached new extremes. Although
researchers have analyzed the inner workings of social media platforms, there is much
work to be done when it comes to determining the effectiveness of advertisements on
social networking sites. Advertisers keep pouring their spending dollars into these
avenues without much hard evidence that the advertisements are proving beneficial in
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increasing both customer base and revenue. Without seeing any benefits, large
corporations are hesitant in continuing the same advertising efforts. Most significantly, GM
publicly pulled millions of advertising dollars out of Facebook in 2012 (ITWeb Online,
2012).
With additional research on how consumers use their personal social media sites,
advertisers can clearly see what impacts are being made on target audiences. If consumers
are not looking at the side margins of Facebook where the ads are located, then what are
they looking at? Where can the audience be reached instead? Through studies and surveys
of a target demographic, researchers can better understand how users approach their
personal social media platforms in terms of socializing and interacting with brands.
This research will benefit corporations to determine if their advertising dollars are
being spent in the most effective way across social media platforms, and how to better their
effectiveness in reaching their target audience. It may be useful to advertisers to know how
to best sell social media advertising to their clients in the most profitable way. This
research may also enhance the overall social media user experience, resulting in the most
effective way for each sector to use sites such as Facebook. To reach these goals, this paper
will explore the Facebook user relationship among the college‐aged demographic in order
to determine the effectiveness of advertisements on Facebook and propose alternatively
successful marketing solutions. This study uses the results from an online survey
administered through Facebook and supplemental in‐depth interviews of the college‐age
demographic group to analyze user behaviors and preferences on the social media site.
Literature Review
Background Context
The success of any advertising campaign is based on its ability to connect with
consumers and influence their behavior. Advertisers must target consumers based on the
desired target market. In order to be effective, ads must reach consumers at the right place
at the right time. Following current consumer trends on social networking sites, many
companies believe that this means targeting people on such platforms. According to Sam
Gustin (2012), Facebook’s advertising strategy “is based on the premise that ‘social’ is the
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future of the online advertising business. It’s the idea that recommendations from friends
and companies alike are going to be more effective than traditional display advertising at
driving consumer behavior.”
A recent study done by Andrew Lipsman, vice president of industry analysis at
comScore, showed that Facebook ads can prove effective under certain circumstances
(Gustin, 2012). The study focuses on user interactions with Brand Pages and success rates
based on friends of fans: “Facebook’s emergence as a marketing channel has largely
centered on the evolution of Brand Pages and their role as a control panel for brands as
they establish a direct communication channel with their Fans and customers” (Lipsman,
2012).
Yet without much data to support whether Facebook ads are or are not effective,
many argue that Facebook is useful for the social aspects alone (Bajarin, 2012). Facebook
users become involved for the community feel, desiring to become part of a network of
connections rather than a part of an advertising platform (Stanoevska‐Slabeva, 2002).
Based on their usage habits, it would appear as though the general Facebook population
uses the platform for social purposes alone, not as a means of engaging with advertisers.
Lipsman’s study proposes a variety of ways in which Facebook ads could prove to be
successful in the future, if not already so, which means that more research is necessary to
establish the validity of Facebook advertisements.
Theory
This paper examines the effectiveness of Facebook advertisements on the college
age demographic. This takes into account the behavior of this demographic in regards to
social media‐based advertising. It is therefore important to also consider this
demographic’s attitude toward advertising in general, especially over the Internet. The
Expectancy Value Theory arose from the original expectancy and value constructs, as
defined by Lewin (1938) and Tolman (1932). Lewin theorized that the importance of an
activity to an individual is based on its value (defined as a psychological experience of
attraction to an object), while Tolman discussed how success expectancies function in
different areas (Wigfield, 2009).
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In relation to this study, the Expectancy Value Theory could help explain Facebook
user attitudes and behavior in terms of social media usage and engagement with
advertisements. Generally speaking, the theory suggests that behavior is a resulting
combination of what people expect from an outcome with the goal that they want to
accomplish (Wigfield, 2009). This theory says that a person’s desire to participate in
certain behaviors depends on whether they believe it will result in a positive outcome
(Wigfield, 2009). In terms of this paper, the theory can aid in analyzing people’s
willingness to engage in Facebook advertisements as dependent upon their belief in such
interactivity resulting in a positive outcome. This theory is pertinent to other studies
examined in this paper as it relates to the effectiveness of certain behaviors.
Previous Studies
Social media sites are still a relatively new and unknown platform. Since not much
data is available on the effectiveness of consumer engagement with sites such as Facebook,
it is difficult to provide advertisers with useful information. According to Gustin, this
relative lack of data means that it is unfair to make broad generalizations, such as
“Facebook ads do/do not work” (2012). Instead, he explains that many variables –
including color, the type of ad, and location, among others – must be taken into account
when determining the effectiveness of ads on consumers (Gustin, 2012).
One of the most important factors in studying the effectiveness of Facebook ads is
the pure reach of the social network: nearly 1 billion users (Gustin, 2012). This is definitely
beneficial to the advertisers. Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, has often stressed the
importance of leveraging “fans of your brand to reach friends of fans” (Gustin, 2012). In
Lipsman’s study, many brands (Starbucks and Target, specifically) experienced significant
in‐store purchase increases from not only fans, but also friends of fans (Gustin, 2012).
Lipsman attributes brands’ social marketing success to Brand Pages in part, yet such
pages are not the primary means of consumer engagement with brands on Facebook: Users
spend the majority of their time on the News Feed, meaning that brands should be looking
for a larger presence there in order to reach more consumers (Lipsman, 2012). Lipsman’s
study recognizes the impact of recruiting Facebook Fans, in terms of continuous contact
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with this consumer base. However, it often becomes difficult to convert simple Facebook
Fans into dedicated, revenue generating, spending consumers (Lipsman, 2012).
In general, Lipsman’s study is promising for Facebook advertisers. Comprised of
evidence that proves certain types of Facebook advertising to be effective, this study
suggests a positive outlook of the future of Facebook advertising and marketing efforts
(Gustin, 2012). In terms of this paper, Lipsman’s study is also encouraging. With the little
data provided to date, patterns of effective Facebook advertising are already emerging. If
certain colors, layouts, locations, and types of ads are examined further, it will be possible
to determine exactly what the most effective Facebook advertisements look like, and
therefore how advertisers should best approach advertising on social media sites.
Research Questions
• In what situations do college‐aged young adults interact with brands on Facebook?
• Are college‐aged young adults more likely to engage with Facebook advertisements
if their friends are already interacting with such ads and/or brands?
• What is the preferred method for college‐aged young adults to receive advertising
on Facebook?
Method
In order to gather information about college‐age Facebook users’ interactions with
advertisements on the social networking site, I developed an online survey to administer to
this demographic. It was created on Survey Monkey and sent out via my personal
Facebook status on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, and reached 100 responses that same day.
Composed of ten questions, the purpose of the survey was to analyze this demographic
group’s Facebook habits, specifically in regards to interactions with brand or company
pages and advertisements (see Appendix A).
An online survey was the most effective way to gather this data for a variety of
reasons. It is a convenient way for the target audience to participate in the research: they
can complete it where, when, and how it is easiest for them, which makes participating
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more appealing. This survey was ten questions long, taking between 10 and 15 minutes to
complete. From the researcher’s perspective, online surveys are efficient because
participants have a limited selection of answers, which allows accurate and direct data to
be gathered.
The final question of the online survey allowed an opportunity for respondents to
submit their email address if they were willing to participate in a follow‐up, in‐depth
interview. In‐depth interviews are beneficial because of the opportunity for individualized
responses that are not necessarily allowed within the scope of online surveys. These
personal interviews also further research by exploring specific ideas and concepts to
achieve more specific results. From the 23 email addresses that were submitted for
participation, a variety of people were selected to make up a total of three volunteers (see
Appendix B).
Sampling Strategies
The target sample for the online survey was clear: As the focus of my research is
college‐aged Facebook users, the survey link could easily be administered through
Facebook to reach this demographic. It is logical to distribute the survey via Facebook
since that particular social media site is the focus of the study. I wanted responses from a
variety of ages (within the college‐age, approximately ages 17‐23), genders, and regions of
the country, so administering the survey through my personal Facebook page allowed each
of these areas to achieve expansive results. Although the majority of my respondents were
females from Elon University, those who agreed to complete follow‐up in‐depth interviews
represented a larger variety of college students.
The in‐depth interview almost provided its own sample group. From 123
respondents of the online survey, 23 of those participants provided their email address for
additional follow‐up. Since the online survey was only provided to my personal network, I
was able to recognize all of the email addresses and purposely pick a variety of volunteers
to participate in the in‐depth interviews. I chose three people to represent an assortment
of ages and genders. I determined this sample selection to present the widest possible
variety of responses in order to achieve balanced and fair results.
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Step‐by‐Step Procedures
In order to prepare the online survey to be administered to college‐aged Facebook
users in my personal network, a series of steps had to be accomplished: First, I decided on
the 10 most pertinent and important questions for my research, then created the survey
using SurveyMonkey.com. While doing this, I had to take into account the style of
questions asked (multiple choice with one answer, multiple choice with multiple answers,
rank order, open‐ended) and how that could potentially influence participants’ answers.
With the fairest phrasing of questions, I completed the survey and administered the link to
the sample through my personal Facebook status. Throughout the day, I monitored the
results to determine if I needed to continuously post the link, or attempt to recruit more
participants through different strategies. My original goal was to have between 150 and
200 responses, however the Survey Monkey service only allows the first 100 responses to
be seen. I then gathered the data in order for it to be analyzed and applied to my research.
To complete the in‐depth interviews, I first had to wait for participants to complete
the online survey, so that I could gather a list of volunteers’ email addresses. My goal was
to have between 15 and 20 respondents offer to participate in a follow‐up interview, so
with 23 volunteers, I was able to select a representative sample of three people. I
contacted each individually to ensure that they were still willing to participate in the in‐
depth interview. Each participant was notified that the interview was completely
voluntary, knowing that they could leave at any time if they ever felt uncomfortable. They
were also aware that their identities would be kept completely confidential, their
responses only being used to further this study. This allowed the participant to feel as
comfortable as possible, with the hope that this comfort would result in the most honest
answers. After each interview was conducted individually, I analyzed the data in relation
to the answers from the online survey and in terms of exploring the results further.
Findings
To systemize all of the survey results into an organized report, I coded the
information according to various categories: Peer influence on Facebook activity,
interactions with brands or companies on Facebook, user preferences, and the projected
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future of Facebook advertising. Working through the key questions to gather this
information, I determined what users reported as their most important interactions. To
showcase this information, each category is detailed with specific data from the online
survey results, supplemented and supported by in‐depth interviewees’ comments where
appropriate.
Peer Influences on Facebook Activity
The survey results show that peer use and influence is a strong determinant in
Facebook habits among college‐aged young adults. When asked to select all of the reasons
why they chose to make a Facebook account, 84.8 percent of respondents answered “to
connect with friends,” followed closely by 65.7 percent of participants, who chose the
response “all of my friends had one.” In‐depth interviewees elaborated further: “Everyone
at my school had one; it was the cool thing to do.”
Why did you make a Facebook account? (Check all that apply.)
To Connect with Friends
All of My Friends Had One
To Connect with Family
I was Sick of MySpace
To Meet New People
To Follow Companies/Brands
Other
To See What All of the Hype was About
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This demographic group feels the need to stay connected with their Facebook
network, with 62 percent of respondents reporting that they log in to Facebook more than
four times a day. “When I’m bored, I’ll keep refreshing my News Feed,” said one
interviewee. “I’d say probably, like, 20 times a day.” “Pretty often, especially having it on
my phone,” responded another. “Every hour probably. And I kind of mindlessly look at it
too, like I’m not even reading it.”
Of survey respondents, 52.6 percent said that they use pictures more than any other
Facebook feature. This was followed by messages (16.5 percent), groups (14.4 percent),
timeline posts (10.3 percent), status updates (3.1 percent), links or shares (2.1 percent),
and company or page likes (1 percent).
In response to the survey question “Why do you choose to like a company or brand
page on Facebook,” 31.1 percent of people said it was because they know someone who
works at the company, while 24.5 percept of people said it was because the page was
suggested to them, and 13.8 percent liked the page because their friends liked it first. One
interviewee explained further: “Brands of… my friends’ parents’ companies, like my
girlfriend’s dad’s a lawyer, so I liked his page.”
Which Facebook feature do you use the most?
Pictures
Messages
Groups
Timeline Posts
Status Updates
Links/Shares
Chat
Company Pages/Likes
Newsfeed
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When asked under what conditions this demographic would click on a Facebook ad,
9.3 percent of people said “if my friends like it.” Yet according to one interviewee, “it
depends on the friend. Because I know that I share some musical interests with some of my
friends, so I might be more likely [to like a musician’s page]. Like my roommate – if, you
know, he likes a band I might go check and see.” Another interviewee agreed: “Depending.
Sometimes when it’s like, McDonalds, like I really don’t care. But… Normally that’s how I
find out, like someone hits one so I see that and then I like it as well. But usually no, not
unless my friends like it.”
Limited Interactions with Brands or Companies on Facebook
When asked to approximate how many company or brand pages they “like” on
Facebook, the most common response was 10, although answers ranged from none to 300.
When asked how likely they are to click on an advertisement on Facebook, 84.4
I want to see company updates
I am a loyal customer
I know someone who works there
I actively follow the brand in the media
It was suggested to me
My friends "like" the page
For a reward ‐ coupons, sales, deals, incentives
To receive special offers or enter contests
I don't
Other
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Why do you choose to "like" a company/brand page on Facebook? (Check all that apply.)
Hollis 12
respondents reported that they are not likely, followed by 14.1 percent of respondents
saying that they are somewhat likely, zero percent saying they are likely and only one
percent saying they are extremely likely to click on a Facebook ad. Additionally, 51.5
percent of survey‐takers answered that they won’t ever click on a Facebook ad, with 39.2
percent saying they would click on a Facebook ad if it is for something interesting or
important to them personally.
Interviewees agreed that they generally do not pay attention to any Internet
advertisements, including those on Facebook. One respondent said: “I do more recently
because I’ve had to do them for my Live Oak [Communications] client and stuff, so now I
pay attention to them more. But until this year, probably not.”
User Preferences
Not all interactions between college‐aged Facebook users and company or brand
pages are negative: Social Facebook users want to interact with brands, but on their own
terms and in ways that they deem appropriate. When asked why they chose to “like” a
I won't ever click on an ad
If it is for something interesting or important to me
If it catches my eye
If my friends like it
If I see the same ad over and over again
If a lot of people like it
Other
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Under what conditions would you click on a Facebook ad? (Check all that apply.)
Hollis 13
company or brand page on Facebook, 68.1 percent of people said that they want to see
company updates, while 54.3 percent of people said they are loyal customers.
In terms of user interactions with company or brand pages on Facebook, 61 percent
of survey respondents said they interact with status updates, followed by 58.5 percent of
respondents interacting with photos, 36.6 percent liking, sharing or commenting on links,
and 19.5 percent of survey‐takers interacting through timeline posts.
Many Facebook users within this demographic base their interactions on contests or
incentive‐based promotions hosted by the company. When asked why they “like” company
or brand pages, one interviewee responded: “If they offer free things, and that’s the only
reason. [I interact with company or brand pages] only when they’re having contests or
giveaways or something. I always try to share and like and comment to win the $100 gift
cards, and it never happens.” Another interviewee agreed: “A lot of [musical] artists will do
contests, so I’ll do that.”
When it comes to Facebook advertisements, this demographic group prefers ads
that are targeted toward their personal likes and interests. One interviewee noted that
although they “try not to pay attention to” Facebook ads, “ones that are kind of related to
me” do attract attention. “It’s kind of weird to look over and see, like, something that I just
searched on Google or something… on the side. So I think that kind of attracts me.” Another
interviewee agreed: “It’s kind of weird because like now, I think the ads that come up on
Facebook are things that I’ve searched like on Google or something before. So typically it’s
like online shopping ads that I look at the most because those seem to be on my feed a lot,
because I guess I online shop a lot.” Additionally, two interviewees agreed that they are
more likely to look at Facebook advertisements if they include a picture or something to
quickly grab their attention.
The Projected Future of Facebook Advertising
Interviewees were asked to predict what they believed the future of Facebook
advertising to be. One responded, “I mean I think it’s getting more and more popular. Live
Oak [Communications] is really what I’ve used it for mostly, but we use them for almost all
of our clients now so I think it’s becoming more popular. And it actually does work; people
go and like the page.” Another answered: “I think you’re going to have to like, click through
Hollis 14
an ad to get to someone’s page. I think that would be kind of crazy. Or if you’re going
through a certain amount of photos and it, like, makes you stop and click through an ad first
to get to the rest of the photos. I think that could be a future step, but I also think that it
would die down pretty quickly because the backlash would be pretty heavy.”
When given the choice of how they would prefer to interact with companies or
brands on social media sites, interviewees gave a variety of responses. One answered: “I
don’t know, I think what they do now is fine, but… I’m really sort of a passive Facebook
user; I just don’t interact much. So I think for people like that it’s kind of hard to target
them anyways, because they’re just not going to interact as much. But I think what they’re
doing is fine and it works.” Another responded: “Have a thing before you sign in like,
every… year that could just say ‘What of these brands do you like?’ And then I’ll only get
those ads and not really have a lot of other ones.” Yet another said: “I guess just a lot of
contests and giveaways and things. I think that definitely kind of increases things. I know
that I’ve participated in like, YoZone did one where you share a photo and then if it gets the
most likes then you win a prize. So I guess things like that would kind of get me to interact
more.”
Conclusion
Research Questions
Through an online survey, follow‐up in‐depth interviews, and previous research
studies, the research questions were analyzed and answered to the fullest extent. The
findings confirmed what I had projected: College‐aged young adults are not affected by
Facebook advertisements, and although they are not completely turned off by brands’
presence on social media sites, this demographic would prefer to interact with such brands
in a different way.
Conclusions
Peer use and influence is a strong determinant factor in Facebook habits among
college‐aged young adults. Not only did this demographic originally join Facebook to
connect with friends, but they also are more likely to follow their friends’ behavior patterns
Hollis 15
on Facebook. These imitations could be anything from “liking” pictures and links to
following certain companies or brands on Facebook. The demographic logs in to Facebook
multiple times per day, even refreshing the site mindlessly.
College‐aged young adults also depend upon their friends and those in their
network to interact with companies or brands on Facebook. This demographic shows
preference by liking the pages of their friends’ companies or if their friends like the page
first. The only real reason that survey participants gave for opting to click on an
advertisement on Facebook was “if my friends like it.” This answer alone shows that this
demographic depends on Facebook for social relationships, not for seeking out corporate
interactions.
Although college‐aged young adults do not seek out brands or companies on social
media sites such as Facebook, they will interact minimally with brands if it incorporates
attractive visuals or something of personal interest. This means that in order for brands to
successfully reach this demographic through advertisements on Facebook, the ads must be
visually and personally appealing. Facebook does this now through targeting users based
on their “likes” and Google searches, among others, but these surveys prove that users
want a more personal experience with brands on Facebook. Survey respondents also
indicated that they interact with brands or companies that offer incentives, coupons, or
other giveaways and special offers. Users will “like” and share status updates, pictures, or
other Facebook data if they are given the opportunity to win some form of reward.
Companies should use this information to their advantage when targeting the college‐aged
demographic.
In terms of the Expectancy Value Theory, these results confirm that Facebook users’
behavior and interactions with advertisements on the social media site is based on their
belief that it will result in a positive outcome. Generally speaking, Facebook users are more
likely to interact with advertisements if they expect a positive occurrence in return. This
suggests that brands and companies that provide incentives such as coupons or special
offers are more likely to experience more user interaction than those that offer no such
reward. Perhaps if more companies include giveaways in their Facebook advertising
methods, more users will positively interact with the brand.
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The in‐depth survey participants suggested a few ways for companies and brands to
better interact with Facebook users. Suggestions included increasing the amount of
giveaways and contests on Facebook sponsored by various companies, or to have users
select which brands they are most interested in receiving ads from and filtering out all the
rest. Survey participants agreed that advertisers will, if anything, become more active on
various social media sites, which is not ideal for many Facebook users. Advertisers and
marketers should recognize this demographic group’s desired characteristics in Facebook
ads so that they can better target these users. Fewer, more specifically targeted
advertisements will better serve the college‐age young adult demographic on Facebook and
benefit companies and brands who focus on these users. While advertisers are becoming
more dependent on the interconnectivity of the social world, users are becoming more
specific in the ways that they want to interact with brands. Companies must listen to their
target demographics in order to stay current with advertising trends and preferences and
remain effective toward this demographic group.
Future Research
To extend this study, I would recommend that future researchers look at the
differences between brand pages and paid advertisements on Facebook, in terms of
consumer behavior and generated revenue. While it is popular for companies and brands
to have a presence in both areas of Facebook marketing, brand pages are more focused on
consumer engagement and function similarly to a personal Facebook page. Given that
college‐aged Facebook users are most interested in their friends’ actions on the social site,
it might be beneficial to see how companies or brands can act more personal to generate
more revenue. Many brands have a solid social media strategy that engages consumers in
the respective brand, but very rarely is a specific success rate able to be calculated. I think
it would be an interesting projection of the future of Facebook advertising and its effects on
consumers.
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Works Cited
Bajarin, Tim (2012). Why Ads Don’t Work on Facebook. PC Magazine. Ziff Davis Media. Bower, Bruce (2010). Facebook users are the real thing. Science News. Society for Science & the Public, 177(7), 10. Retrieved on 25 Feb. 2013 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25656111. Del Rey, Jason (2013). Facebook builds an ‘ad stack’; With Atlas deal, social giant has potential to own online‐ad technology from end to end. Advertising Age. Crain Communications, 84, 6. Evans, David S. (2009). The Online Advertising Industry: Economics, Evolution, and Privacy. The Journal of Economic Perspectives. American Economic Association, 23 (3). Retrieved on 12 March 2013 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27740539. Gustin, Sam (2012). Do Facebook Ads Work? TIME: Business & Money. Time Inc. Retrieved on 12 March 2013 from http://business.time.com/2012/08/07/do‐facebook‐ads‐work/. Lee, Edmund (2010). Social networks sink online‐ad pricing. Advertising Age. Crain Communications, 0001. Lipsman, Andrew, Graham Mudd, Carmela Aquino, and Patrick Kemp (2012). The Power of Like 2: How Social Marketing Works. comScore. O’Reilly, Lara (2012). Facebook and Yahoo! strike ad partnership. Marketing Week. Centaur Communications. Reid, Alasdair (2012). All about… Facebook’s future. Campaign. Haymarket Publishing Services, 24. Stanoevska‐Slabeva, Katarina (2002). Toward a Community‐Oriented Design of Internet Platforms. International Journal of Electronic Commerce. M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 6(3), 71‐95. Retrieved on 25 Feb. 2013 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27751024. Wigfield, Allan, Stephen Tonks and Susan Lutz Klauda (2009). Expectancy Value Theory. Handbook of Motivation at School. Routledge, 55. Are online ads as we know them outdated (2011)? New Media Age. Centaur Communications, 5. Facebook’s business model revisited (2012). ITWeb Online. ITWeb Limited. The year ahead for … Social Media (2013). Campaign. Haymarket Publishing Services, 22.
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Appendix A: Online Survey (via SurveyMonkey.com)
1. Why did you make a Facebook account? (Check all that apply) a. To meet new people b. To connect with friends c. To connect with family d. All of my friends had one e. To see what all of the hype was about f. I was sick of MySpace g. To follow companies/brands h. Other (please specify)
2. How often do you log in to Facebook in a normal week?
a. 1‐2 times a week b. 3‐6 times a week c. Once a day d. 2‐3 times a day e. More than 4 times a day
3. Which Facebook feature do you use the most?
a. Status Updates b. Pictures c. Links/Shares d. Groups e. Messages f. Timeline Posts g. Company Pages/Likes h. Other (please specify)
4. Approximately how many company or brand pages do you “like” on Facebook? a. Open‐ended text box response
5. Why do you choose to “like” a company or brand page on Facebook? (Check all that
apply) a. I am a loyal customer b. I want to see company updates c. I actively follow the brand in the media d. I know someone who works there e. It was suggested to me f. My friends “like” the page g. Other (please specify)
6. In what ways do you interact with (like/share/comment on) companies/brands that you have “liked” on Facebook? (Check all that apply)
a. Status Updates b. Links
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c. Photos d. Timeline Posts e. Other (please specify)
7. How likely are you to click on an advertisement on Facebook?
a. Not Likely b. Somewhat Likely c. Likely d. Extremely Likely
8. Under what conditions would you click on a Facebook ad? (Check all that apply)
a. I won’t ever click on an ad b. If it catches my eye c. If it is for something interesting or important to me d. If a lot of people like it e. If my friends like it f. If I see the same ad over and over again g. Other (please specify)
9. What is your gender?
a. Male b. Female c. Other
10. Please provide your email address if you are willing to do a follow‐up, in‐depth
interview. a. Open‐ended text box response
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Appendix B: In‐Depth Interview Questions
1. When did you join Facebook?
2. Why did you join Facebook?
3. How often do you log in to Facebook?
4. What Facebook feature do you use the most? (status updates, shares, pictures, chat….)
5. How many company/brand pages do you “like”?
6. Why did you “like” the page?
7. In what ways do you interact with pages? (likes, shares…) 8. How often do you interact with companies/brands that you’ve “liked” on Facebook?
9. Do you pay attention to Internet ads? Why/why not?
10. Do you click through on Internet ads? Why/why not?
11. Do you pay attention to Facebook ads? Why/why not?
12. Do you click through on Facebook ads? Why/why not?
13. What kind of ads attract your attention on Facebook?
14. Is there a specific element of an ad that is most important to you? (color, layout,
location on page, font…)
15. Would you be more likely to click on an ad if it’s targeted toward you personally?
16. Would you be more likely to click on an ad if your friends “like” / “are using” it?
17. What would make you click on a Facebook advertisement?
18. What do you think the future of Facebook advertising will be?
19. How would you prefer to interact with companies or brands on social media sites?