Not sure if this has rolled out to everyone yet, but there's new functionality that pops-up photos in Facebook instead of taking people away to a different screen.
As mentioned in this cool, detailed post showing how they got to this design, it's also worth looking at the all-new ad space provided in an area that is difficult to look away from. In fact, it seems like the best-designed ad space yet. But what makes this paid media different from any other?
The key here is focusing the viewer on a smaller set of information than at any other point in the Facebook experience. Once you've gained that focus, there's an incredible amount of personal attachment between the people in the photo and the people viewing it.
Put together, what we have is incredibly targeted, attention-getting ad space. Think about how this would work in an app where a user has tagged a place and a brand to a picture with a description. Now, Facebook not only has your attention, but in branded places like retail stores, entertainment destinations, restaurants, these advertisers can follow our DraftFCB rule of No Passive Media, and create an ad that makes sense to the context and provides the viewer with a logical next step to explore more of the brand story.
Even more, let's not forget about the basic human behavior of wanting to mimic or be a part of what our friends are doing. A well-placed ad here is the next step as a part of that process, too.
What do you think? Please let me know what you think in the comment section or @mleis.