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from the all-the-ones-that-are-not-dead-yet? dept.
How many 18-34 year old people live in the US?
Facebook tells advertisers that they can reach up to 41 million users in the 18-24 age bracket. Sounds reasonable... However, one stock analyst (who unlike most analysts, has a "SELL" rating for Facebook shares) noticed that there are only 31 million people in the country in that age bracket (according to the Census Bureau.)
On the one hand, the Census Bureau has decades of experience coming up with scientifically accurate population estimates based on birth and death rates, immigration rates, representative surveys, and even literally going door to door and counting people.
On the other hand, Facebook data is both specific and granular. Users provide their birthdays, and Facebook captures where you log in from. So the company knows if you’re inside the boundaries of the U.S., and it knows how old you are.
Of course, in the advertising world, if a person doesn't exist how can you reach them?
Also reported by Reuters
Facebook Offering Access to more US Customers Than Actually Exist (Claims Analyst)
Spotted on The Register is an article on claims about the unreliability of Facebook's advertising statistics:
Facebook has an extensive and sophisticated ad-buying system that assures potential advertisers it can reach no fewer than 41 million of a core target group of 18 to 24-year-olds in the United States.
The only problem, analyst Brian Wieser of Pivotal Research Group pointed out in a note to customers, is that there are only 31 million of them that actually exist in the US, according to the official census data. The same gap in reality also holds for other groups, including the next most-targeted group of 25 to 34-year-olds.
(Score: 2) by DonkeyChan on Saturday September 09 2017, @11:41AM (4 children)
41 million users in the 18-24 age bracket
or
41 million users in the 18-24 age bracket in the U.S.
They're a world wide company and I don't see anything they said that indicates their numbers are for the U.S exclusively.
They also own Instagram and depending on what they consider "reach" could be including that.
C.O.I.
I despise what FB is.
(Score: 2) by Scrutinizer on Saturday September 09 2017, @12:55PM (3 children)
Facebook told advertisers that the platform can potentially “reach” 41 million young adults between 18 and 24 in the US. [gizmodo.com]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday September 09 2017, @02:01PM (1 child)
Ah, there you have it! You didn't scrutinized that word.
FB wasn't lying, it's not FB's fault this potential is not realized.
If there would be 41 millions young adults between 18 and 24 in the US, then FB could reach them.
It's like saying: "Facebook told advertisers that the platform can "reach" up to 2B young adults between 18 and 24 in the US."
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @03:44PM
Wrong. If there are less than 41 million people in the target demographic during the time period in question (as such SEC reports are always made in regard to a specific time period), then there can be no potential to accomplish an impossible task, that being sending advertisements to more eyeballs than which physically exist.
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Saturday September 09 2017, @03:57PM
Really depends on your definition of "in"
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam