The migration from the News Feed to Stories is as disruptive for Facebook (and brands) as was the original introduction of the News Feed itself.
It’s not an overstatement to say that Facebook has had a tumultuous 2018. Rocked by privacy scandals, battered in the markets, and beset by PR controversy on all sides, the social giant’s image has taken a hit. Observers from all ends of the media industry are wondering what the way forward is for one of the most successful companies in history.
I’m here to tell you that in spite of the short term pain, Facebook does have a way forward in 2019 and beyond. The migration from the News Feed to Stories is as disruptive for Facebook (and brands) as was the original introduction of the News Feed itself, and the subsequent transition from Desktop to Mobile. These changes are difficult and fundamental; they alter the way people consume content, how much time they spend with the platform, and how they engage with advertising.
Facebook spent the better part of 2018 in the midst of this difficult transition in its business fundamentals. Those fundamentals have been obscured, to a degree, by issues like data privacy and politics. Beneath those public controversies, we are witnessing an even more structural shift in Facebook’s advertising business (ie. its entire business). I predict that 2019 will be the year where Facebook’s strategy for navigating that shift is made clear to advertisers and to markets, and this time next year we will be in a position to better determine whether the company can emerge from this transition in a position of strength.
Advertising always follows eyeballs.
