Facebook To 'Geo-Fence' You And Your Friends

On Monday, Facebook announced a new advertising tool that offers marketers more of what they’ve been craving — location-based targeting.

CMO Today reports that the so-called “geofencing” ad offering, which Facebook is calling “Location Aware Ads,” lets marketers pull location information from users’ smartphones in order to serve them targeted ads.

Put simply: You’re strolling down the block, blissfully ignoring passersby and “don’t walk” signs as you flip through Facebook. Suddenly, you see a local coffee shop’s ad in your stream. “Look to your left,” it reads. “50% off mochas today… treat yourself!”

Game-changer, right?

The fact is, while a handful of companies exist in the mobile-location-targeting space, nobody has really nailed it yet, making the entry of Facebook all the more interesting. Marketers are obviously hungry for this tool. The question, as usual,  is whether consumers will find it creepy.

You can always prevent Facebook from tracking your location, through a setting on your phone