Ina Fried

Recent Posts by Ina Fried

Facebook Begins Big Ad Blitz To Tout Its New Android “Home”

Although Facebook Home won’t be available for another week or so, the social network has begun a major ad campaign pitching customers on its new Android software.

On its own mobile and desktop sites, Facebook is pushing its users through a variety of ads, including suggested posts, page posts, sponsored stories and logout page ads. Each of the ads directs users to Facebook’s main page for its mobile efforts.

Introduced on Thursday, Facebook Home is downloadable software for Android phones that adds a customized home screen, lock screen and app launcher. It is slated to be available April 12 for a handful of phones, and preloaded on the HTC First, a new $99 phone for AT&T.

The company is taking the Airplane spot it showed at Thursday’s launch event and airing it as a TV commercial, starting with today’s Final Four men’s college basketball games on CBS. Additional spots — all produced by ad firm Wieden + Kennedy, will come in the coming weeks, Facebook said.

Here’s a look at the commercial:

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Another gadget you don’t really need. Will not work once you get it home. New model out in 4 weeks. Battery life is too short to be of any use.

— From the fact sheet for a fake product entitled Useless Plasticbox 1.2 (an actual empty plastic box) placed in L.A.-area Best Buy stores by an artist called Plastic Jesus