FACEBOOK DEVELOPER CONFERENCE - Wavemaker

FACEBOOK DEVELOPER
    CONFERENCE

The annual Facebook Developer Conference (F8) is an event
                  designed to highlight Facebook’s latest tech innovations as well
                  as what’s on the horizon for this digital giant. Wavemaker was
                  there in San Jose, CA to hear the company unveil its new features,
                  initiatives and experiences as workshops and hackathons took
                  place onsite with the platforms’ third party developers.

WHAT HAPPENED?
This year’s F8 was a crucial moment in the company’s history as they took to the stage to
share major announcements aimed at elevating both the overall consumer and brand
experience on the platform. After weathering a recent storm of controversial press, all
eyes were on Facebook and this conference to provide insight into the company’s vision
for the future of Facebook, on and off of the platform. This year didn’t disappoint, with
plenty of announcements and keynotes running the gamut of Instagram updates, dating
announcements, VR and AR demos, a look at how Facebook views the future of AI, and
more.

MAJOR F8 ANNOUNCEMENTS INCLUDED:
• Clear History
• Dating Profiles
• AR on Instagram and Messenger
• Oculus Go
• Sharing to Stories                                    “WE NEED TO KEEP
                                                        PEOPLE SAFE, AND WE
Read on to understand why these changes                 WILL, BUT WE ALSO
matter and what they mean for your current              NEED TO KEEP
brand initiatives as well as engaging your
consumers.
                                                        BUILDING AND BRING
                                                        THE WORLD CLOSER
                                                        TOGETHER.”
                                                        MARK ZUCKERBERG, KEYNOTE
                                                        ADDRESS

ANNOUNCEMENT 1

Clear History
• Users will now be able to clear browser history stored by Facebook on the fly, or opt-out
  of it being collected entirely
• This is just one of the many steps to address the bad publicity that arose in the
  Cambridge Analytica scandal and to give users more control over their data
• Facebook has also restarted reviews of new apps built on their platform, something they
  had paused in the wake of questions about access to data

What Marketers Should Know
• Theoretically, Clear History would limit a helpful set of data that helps to target more
  relevant ads to users. However there are two important things to consider from past
  efforts that may point to a slightly different reality.
       1. When Facebook has previously given users more control over their data very few
          have opted in – and given Facebook’s massive scale we suspect this will likely be
          the case here as well.
       2. The real shift here is in Facebook’s move to remove itself from hosting data that
          they have no control over, shifting the burden of ensuring the data is properly
          gathered to advertisers and third parties data providers. Therefore, this layer of
          protection may not truly limit the ability to use browsing history. As with
          Facebook’s deprecation of third-party data announced several weeks ago,
          marketers will likely still be able to use this information provided it is supplied
          elsewhere and that the advertisers take responsibility for the integrity of the
          data.

ANNOUNCEMENT 2

Dating Profile
• Facebook is bravely wading into the dating scene – inspired so they said at F8 by the
  many people who have met their partner on the platform. Unsaid were the number of
  apps such as Tinder that have built successful businesses by allowing Facebook users to
  sync profiles to their apps
• MatchGroup shares were down 10% during the announcement - they own Match.com,
  Tinder and OKCupid
• Perhaps the most interesting feature was the ability to find other daters attending events
  through Facebook event pages

What Marketers Should Know
• Think of this in context with some of the enhanced 3-D photo features they showed off
  at F8 – more tools to make the platform sticky at a time when engagement and growth
  are slipping
• Facebook has said that they aren’t launching with brand opportunities but it’s not hard
  to imagine them replicating what apps like Tinder and Grindr have done with brand ads
  in swipe-able spaces and even deeper integrations with events.

ANNOUNCEMENT 3

AR On Instagram and Messenger
• While Facebook’s version of AR, Camera Effects, has been available on their flagship app
  for a year now, it has struggled to catch up with Snap’s filters and lenses in terms of
  impact – mostly due to the limited number of people using the Facebook camera. That
  said, users are using Instagram’s camera regularly so adding AR as a feature will
  drastically increases the likelihood that it will be discovered, used and shared
• Similarly, Messenger skews younger than Facebook which makes AR a more likely
  proposition.

What Marketers Should Know
• Facebook has been an iffy proposition for branded AR – expect Instagram to be a far
  better environment to create highly sharable experiences
• As with Stories, AR on Instagram puts tremendous pressure on Snap on a platform that
  has already helped to arrest the upstart’s growth
• On Messenger AR takes on an added dimension when combined with chatbots, allowing
  users to examine or explore AR products and then interact with or even purchase from a
  brand

ANNOUNCEMENT 4

Oculus Go
• Facebook bids to finally bring high-quality VR to the masses with Oculus Go, the first
  consumer mass-market true VR device
• Staring price point is $199
• This is an all-in-one device that doesn’t require external headphones, computer, wires or
  even a smartphone

What Marketers Should Know
• VR continues to be a boutique experience for all but high end gamers. This is a quantum
  leap in comfort, price and accessibility: now for the groundbreaking content that will
  drive need-to-own
• One of the most fascinating things shown was TV in Oculus, essentially a Roku-like OTT
  experience within VR that replicates watching most channels and streaming services but
  in a virtual environment. This allows for screen sizes that (virtually) exceed home theater
  and even cinema size. Given that many gamers watch TV through devices like Xbox and
  are also VR early adopters this could represent a trojan horse into OTT for Facebook
• Co-viewing sports and live entertainment in VR with other avatars was another
  interesting use case shown to the F8 audience

ANNOUNCEMENT 5

Sharing to Stories
• Facebook is now allowing third-party app integrations into Stories on Facebook and
  Instagram
• This will be open to any third-party app (think Spotify, GoPro as examples) pending
  review
• Once shared users will be able to take an action within Stories (such as play, watch etc.)

What Marketers Should Know
• Stories activity, particularly on Instagram, is beginning to supplant activity within the
  newsfeed for many users. Brands that have apps or are partnering with apps need to
  consider whether there is an engaging shareable element that could lend itself to a
  Stories environment
• This has the potential to make for richer branded stories through music and sound or
  even e-commerce or learn more capability
• There is no reason why e-commerce couldn’t be enabled through shared product info
  into Stories via third party or branded app, provided consumers feel motivated to share
  this with friends

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
NOAH MALLIN
WAVEMAKER US
NOAH.MALLIN@WMGLOBAL.COM