Facebook Forms New Unit to Study Consumer Behaviour

Facebook has announced the launch of a new division, Facebook IQ, which will probe consumer behaviour and motivation to support the social network's own product development strategy and the campaigns of its clients.

UK Regional Director Steve Hatch made the announcement at the IAB Engage conference in London, according to www.marketingweek.co.uk , describing it as 'a combination of thought leaders, sociologists, ethnographers and researchers that are working outside of Facebook's walls'.

The unit has produced its first formal research report, based on a survey of 11,000 13-24-year-olds in thirteen countries, revealing that 60 per cent of them would choose to give up their television over their smartphone. Hatch said mobile devices were now 'the first screen' in young people's lives.

Two weeks ago, Facebook unveiled strict new guidelines for its internal research practices, in an effort to assuage consumer worries over revelations of a recent psychological experiment in which it manipulated users' news feeds to assess the impact on the mood of their subsequent posts. It has also launched a tracking product, analysing user behaviour across devices, based on the Atlas software it acquired from Microsoft earlier this year.