Facebook Inc. is looking to unveil its mobile ad network, which aims at using data about users for better advertisement targeting.
The online social networking service reportedly plans to release details about the ad network on April 30 at its F8 developer conference in San Francisco, according to PC Magazine.
The conference will not focus on new projects, but will focus developers on what they can add to Facebook instead.
Brands and retailers will be able to place ads on different mobile apps and games in the network, The Wall Street Journal reported. The ads will be targeted toward Facebook users who have given their real identities.
If the network is successful, Facebook's revenue would see an increase, and the social network would be established as an important link between publishers and advertisers, as well as between smartphone and tablet users. A person familiar with the company said Facebook believes that focusing the ad network on mobile devices will make the network a dominant player in the growing digital-ad market.
The new ad network would be Facebook's first actual attempts at creating a mobile ad network, PC Magazine reported.
Facebook announced an experimental advertising process in January, which the company described as "like a mobile add network." A Facebook spokeswoman declined commenting on the rumors of the announcement, saying it is "speculation leading up to F8, as can be expected."
Ad-agency executives said Facebook's tracking capabilities can help the company get more advertisers to show ads on mobile devices. Small files called cookies can track the behavior of users on personal computers, but don't work efficiently on mobile devices. This makes it hard for marketers to see how effective their advertising is, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"Everyone is desperate to shift budget to mobile because that's where users are, but most marketers can't because they have no way to measure it," said Megan Pagliuca, general manager of display media at marketing agency Merkle. "If Facebook can figure that out, marketers will move more dollars."
