A friend sent this link to a great article comparing Facebook to television as an advertising medium: http://www.slate.com/articles/
A company named Datalogix has created the ability to triangulate shopper purchase data, Facebook user data, and advertising exposure data by consumer without tracking personal information. That in itself is quite a feat – to protect privacy, capture that data, and match it. The fascinating conclusion is that clicking on ads in Facebook is irrelevant because advertising in Facebook works like advertising on television – it creates awareness, image, and brand information. According to Datalogix’s data after tests on about 70 brands, exposure to this information did increase sales.
If this is true, then Facebook may now be able to demonstrate value to the business community which would breath new life into the possibility of generating more revenue from businesses.