Facebook Ignoring Consumer Perspective

In an interview set to air Sunday night, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg told “60 Minutes” that Facebook’s controversial Beacon program “is going to be a really good thing.”

Zuckerberg, who acknowledged last month that the company made mistakes in rolling out Beacon, insists in the interview that its basic premise — harnessing users to endorse brands — is sound. “What would you rather see?” he asks in the interview. “A banner ad from Bloomingdale’s or that one of your friends bought a scarf?”

First off, Zuckerberg’s totally ignoring the consumer’s perspective about triggering that ad. I’d rather see some ad I can ignore, gloss over, or even act on rather than see my friends as unknowing brand whores.

The other problem is that with the format of Beacon we’ve been discussing, the ads are BOTH banner ads with friend endorsements. Zuckerberg’s having his cake and eating it here.

Let’s keep the pressure on and put a stop to the double dipping.

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