Subject areaChannels and tools
Also known asMeta Platforms
Meta (in full Meta Platforms) is the US group that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
It was called Facebook until 2021: the new name separates the company from its first platform and refers to the metaverse (shared virtual environments), on which the group placed its bet. Its revenue comes mainly from advertising, so for a company Meta is above all a supplier of advertising space, bought from one panel for several platforms.
This concentration has regulatory consequences. In the European Union the Commission designated Meta in 2023 as a gatekeeper (a company that controls access to digital customers) under the Digital Markets Act, which imposes specific obligations on the combined use of user data across its services.
Source: Regolamento (UE) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act); Commissione europea, designazione dei gatekeeper del 6 settembre 2023.
An example
A furniture manufacturer runs a single campaign from Meta's advertising panel and shows it on both Facebook and Instagram. The budget moves between the two platforms, and the results are read in one report.
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Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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