Another Brilliant Maneuver from the Zuckbook: What Looks Like a Setback Is a Strategic Win

March 1, 2021

I read “Facebook Just Admitted It Has Lost the Battle with Apple over Privacy.” The subtitle suggests that the scintillating managerial acumen is using its custom shibboleth to fool its adversaries at the fruit outfit. Here’s the subtitle illustrating how the Zuckbook is feinting:

The company launched an ad campaign that shows just how worried it is about Apple’s upcoming privacy changes.

Yes, the “real” news outfit Inc. has been fooled. The write up continues:

The company [Facebook] released a pair of ads in three of the most widely-circulated newspapers in the country, accusing Apple of attacking small businesses and the open internet. Mark Zuckerberg also attacked Apple’s motivations during the company’s quarterly earnings report last month, and there are reports that he has been considering filing an antitrust lawsuit against the iPhone maker.

Red herrings have done their job. The dogs of privacy are going in circles. The write up reports:

Now, the company [Facebook] has launched a new campaign, including an ad titled “Good Ideas Deserve to be Found.” The new ad is a little hard to follow but is meant to show the value of personalized ads to small businesses. Facebook wants to make it very clear that personalized ads make for a better experience on Facebook and Instagram, which it also owns.

Confused. Don’t be.

The company [Apple] won’t stop Facebook from tracking you, but it will have to ask you for permission first. Why, then, is Facebook so worried? Because it knows what everyone else already knows–that when given a choice, most people will choose to not allow Facebook to track them.

Such a slick maneuver. Facebook’s moves make Julius Caesar’s tactics at the Battle of Alesia look like the Brazilian president’s Covid fighting campaign. MBAs will study this brilliant Facebook conflict. I am assuming that the MBA programs at certification institutions do more than collect money from the eager students.

Stephen E Arnold, March 1, 2021

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Business strategy, News, Privacy

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.