Is Facebook Exchange (FBX) going away?

One of the biggest questions recently has been the plan for FBX. Rumors had circulated that Facebook was no longer nurturing and updating the program as advertisers, agencies and ad networks gained the ability to run ads direct through Facebook Marketplace. The question then became – why go find an FBX partner?

Marketplace offers a broader span of ad units, as well as extended reach through interest targeting and the utilization of Website Custom Audiences. However, FBX has, for the most part, resulted in lower CPMs with the ability to run dynamic campaigns (something introduced into Marketplace with “Product Ads” over the coming months).

Facebook seems to be contemplating the same question. Announced last week, Facebook decertified more than half of the third party partners from FBX. The number of publicly listed FBX partners dropped from more than 25 to just over 10. These decertified partners do still have the ability to run RTG-based ad buys through the Facebook API, but limited inventory and rising costs may hinder this path.

The partners which remain certified (ex: Sociomantic, AdRoll, MediaMath) are utilizing FBX in a more complex manner with a focus on dynamic campaigns. They also account for the majority of spend within the program. Facebook’s decision to cut down on having a surplus of partners allows them to focus on the more data-driven partners in 2015, specifically looking at dynamic product-level retargeting for FBX.

Bring it on Atlas!

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You can find a list of all certified FBX partners here.