“I worked on all of the data integration projects at OFA (Obama for America). This was the only one that felt creepy, even though we played by the rules, and didn’t do anything I felt was ugly, with the data.” — Carol Davidsen via Twitter
Yesterday, Fast Company published an article about the 2012 Obama campaign's usage of Facebook data. The campaign's director of media and analytics shared the above quote on Twitter on March 18. She's right that Obama for America didn't break any rules (read the article to learn more), but I know a number of people who probably think creepy isn't the right way to describe their approach.
The Obama Campaign is an example of someone who didn't break the rules, but their example does bring up a bigger question that anyone in marketing should be wrestling with, especially if you do social media advertising.
Where is the line between the rules a social network creates and your organization's values?
Facebook can't answer that question for you. We can't answer that question for you. You need to answer the question for yourself.
Let me be clear.
We believe Facebook is a valuable marketing and advertising tool.
We also believe everyone should be intentional about using that tool in a way that reflects their values as an organization.
It's not enough to trust Facebook to do the right thing. They won't.
