Blog P.I.

Imagine my surprise, glancing at the right-hand advertising column on Facebook this morning, to find a Facebook ad encouraging the site’s users to learn more about the real person portrayed by Justin Timberlake in the hit film about the website “The Social Network” (perhaps you’ve heard of it)? Here it is:

The advertisement indeed leads readers to Vanity Fair, for which journalist David Kirkpatrick wrote a profile of Sean Parker timed to coincide with the film’s release. Facebook Ads are not transparent, so it’s impossible to know who bought this ad. But there are a few possibilities:

• Vanity Fair: Under most circumstances, the website receiving the traffic is the one buying the ad. But that’s not always the case, if the goal is not page views and ad revenue but reputation management.
• Sean Parker: This was actually my first guess. The Vanity Fair article is quite generous to him; given that Parker is portrayed quasi-adversarially in the film, both the article and this campaign seem to be in Parker’s interest.
• Facebook: It’s no secret Facebook does not love this movie, and though Parker is no longer involved in an official capacity, it’s my understanding that he is still friends with Mark Zuckerberg and maintains some influence. It’s in their interest to defend him, too.
• David Kirkpatrick: Probably the least likely candidate, but one can’t rule him out entirely. Kirkpatrick is the author of “The Facebook Effect” — a book competing with the one the movie was based on. For this one, Zuckerberg and Parker cooperated. He’s been a critic of the film’s accuracy, especially in this Bloggingheads appearance.
• Justin Timberlake: Well, he’s pictured in the advertisement. But he’s received enough positive press for his role in the film already, and he’s clearly the ad’s hook — the thing being leveraged.

If I had to wager a guess, I’d say it’s either Vanity Fair or Sean Parker. Just for fun, I’m going to say it’s Sean Parker. Any other guesses?