I like Facebook. I still heavily rely on MySpace to follow my favorite bands. But for my overall social-networking and time-wasting needs, I’ve appreciated Facebook’s much cleaner look and smarter, less sleazy feel.
Still, Web sites need to make money. Facebook has tried to stay innovative with social ads (“your friend is a fan of this product”) and personalized ads.
Regarding the personalized ad above: Now, OK, my relationship status is listed as “single.” And as a heterosexual male, sure, there’s a decent chance I’ll find the very buxom woman to be appealing. Perhaps they even knew that the company’s name would remind me of a favorite movie.
Two aspects of the ad make less sense, however.
1) Though I’m sure that some “local singles” could read that top line of type, let’s just say it’s not the native tongue here in Hoboken, New Jersey.
2) WHAT THE HELL IS “TEAM SILBERT”? Am I on the team? What sport are we playing? How many players on each side? Or is this more of a Charlie’s Angels setup? And what does this ad look like for a guy on Facebook with a really long last name? Wow, that photo is really creeping me out.
I guess I wouldn’t mind one of the shirts, though.
Jack Silbert, curator