MNI Blog  /  2 minute read

Do Advertisers Like Facebook’s New Reactions? Nope—They LOVE Them.

You may have noticed that Facebook recently rolled out a brand new, emoji-filled way for users to interact with content on the platform. Initially launched in Ireland and Spain almost

fb reactions

You may have noticed that Facebook recently rolled out a brand new, emoji-filled way for users to interact with content on the platform. Initially launched in Ireland and Spain almost a year ago, they’re called ‘Reactions,’ and they’re extensions of the Like button: Now, six emojis help people share their reactions to posts quickly and easily, without having to type a comment, making them more comfortable interacting with pots. With one click, you can Love the video of your co-worker’s cat drinking milk with his paw, or show how Angry you are that Donald Trump keeps winning primaries. You could (and should) do both. It’s never been easier!

Many people are happy just to lurk on Facebook, actively checking in on their friends’ Crossfit workouts, vacations pics, and foster dogs, but very rarely interacting with the posts. With so many new emotions

(well, 6) to choose from, Reactions may help people find their voice, for friends’ posts as well as for brands’.

Tell Us How You Really Feel

Facebook has always given advertisers a comprehensive understanding of who you are, and while they’re not sharing exactly how Reactions will affect the digital ads in your News Feed, you can bet that brands are going to be mining that information for audience insights that will inform future targeted ad campaigns.

The ability to qualitatively measure performance in real time means brands can monitor what content inspires negative and positive Reactions, and tweak their content appropriately. Reactions will help advertisers get more immediate, multidimensional, and realistic feedback about the content they’re sharing, and how they can tailor it to reach more—and more relevant—consumers. Brands will be able to spot trends and to really up their customer service campaigns when they inevitably get those negative comments.

Within hours of the global launch of Reactions, Chevrolet released a video on their Facebook page, encouraging consumers to show their Love for the brand.

Last week, Facebook shared a post about how Reactions would affect ads, including

• Metrics that include Likes in ads reports will also include Reactions.
  However, these won't be broken out as individual Reactions.

• Advertisers who want to see a breakdown of Reactions can do so in their
  Page insights only.

• Reactions are treated the same as Likes for ads delivery
  (ex: Loves carry no extra weight than Likes in the auction).

• In the same way that you can't remove a Like, you can't remove a Reaction.

Ultimately, it’s up to Facebook to share the insights it gleans from Reactions data, and allow Reactions to determine which consumers see which ads. But with emotions being such a vital part of targeted advertising  and marketing, it’s a safe bet that Reactions will help brands deliver more highly-targeted ads to audiences.

What do you think of Reactions? Do you Love them, or do they make you Angry?