"We have rejected millions of ads"

Advertising WeekTino Krause, in January you said to the Handelszeitung: "We have to change." You wanted to win back trust with Facebook, keep young users engaged - and attract SMEs in Switzerland in particular. Were you able to work on such major projects despite the pandemic?

Tino Krause: We were able to do that, even though the lockdown and the special situation also kept us busy. We took steps to live up to our responsibility - for users, publishers, businesses, and advertisers. To do this, we built new features, like the Coronavirus Information Center, to show people trusted information. In addition, our teams worked to reduce false reporting on platforms. To do this, we also expanded our fact checker program to include additional partners and languages.

How did your company understand and play its role during this time?

The purpose of our services is to connect people, build communities, and create meaningful connections between businesses and people - not only in times of crisis, but of course also during the pandemic. Facebook's Community Help feature, for example, is designed to make it easier for people to actively offer or seek help. Many people also use Facebook groups for this purpose. In Switzerland, quickly after the crisis broke out, there was a "Gärn gschee" group in almost every canton to run errands for others who can't do that at the moment. We found that enormously inspiring and energizing.

To understand the situation and the specific needs of SMEs in these difficult times, we also launched the Digital Economy Study with partners. We continuously survey SMEs in more than 50 countries and regions about their experiences and their need for support. It shows that social media in particular can help maintain existing customer relationships, reach new customers, and ultimately generate revenue.

Did you observe any change in user behavior during the lockdown?

Our services were definitely used more than ever. We see various reasons for this increased use - for example, to stay in touch, to exchange ideas, to collaborate, or even to shop online. A consumer study by Deloitte commissioned by Facebook shows that almost half of respondents have increased their online shopping since the start of the Corona crisis. In addition, 40 percent said they have increased their social media consumption to learn about products and companies online. Seventy-three percent said that at least one company they have discovered since the crisis began is a small business. Looking to the future, it is therefore essential for SMEs to address and meet their consumers where they are: in the digital space.

So Facebook wants to help SMBs expand their business into the digital space.

It is true that the various industries are affected to varying degrees by the pandemic. But they all have one thing in common: they can use the opportunities and potential of digitization to mitigate the effects of the crisis. With webinars on different focal points, we want to initiate discussion with decision-makers from politics and industry associations on the one hand, in order to draw attention to the situation of SMEs. On the other hand, we provide concrete tips on how SMEs can drive forward the digitization of their business. For Swiss companies, the application phase for our support program has just ended, in which we provide SMEs with financial assistance as well as advertising vouchers. The latter particularly help companies gain more visibility in the digital space.

Has the Corona crisis made SMEs more aware that they need to take place in the digital space?

Our digital business study gave us the figures to prove it: One-third of the SMEs surveyed said they had generated at least 25 percent of their sales via digital channels since the start of the crisis. As before, the number of SMEs establishing an online presence is on the rise. This is because liquidity bottlenecks persist, and public traffic and demand have not yet returned to the levels they used to enjoy.

It is very important that SMEs reach their customers where they are - online. In recent months, quite a few companies have made a leap of many years in terms of innovation and digitization. The task now is to contribute to the development and expansion of a sustainable digital strategy that sets the course for future-oriented business.

We are on the brink of the US elections. A Cambridge Analytica whistleblower told the St.Galler Tagblatt that she was sure "it will be worse than before the 2016 election unless we do something very drastic." Has Facebook taken drastic measures to stop attempts at political influence?

In recent months, numerous measures have been taken to ensure the security of our platforms and the protection of elections. Much content has been removed from Facebook and Instagram in the US for violating our election interference policies. In addition, warnings are displayed under content if its truthfulness has previously been challenged by one of our independent fact-checkers. We also refused to serve 2.2 million political ads in the U.S. and removed 30 networks worldwide that had engaged in coordinated, inauthentic behavior. Users from the U.S. also see an information center in their feed that gives them reliable information about the election. They can also decide whether or not they want political ads displayed in their newsfeed.

Once the polls close, we will temporarily not allow political ads in the U.S. to reduce the risk of uncertainty or abuse.

Do you feel a certain pressure from market competitors like TikTok with regard to younger users in the DACH region?

In all areas, but perhaps especially in tech, it is particularly important not to act reactively - we must set new trends ourselves and actively drive digital transformation. That's because we see change as an opportunity, which is why we encourage innovation across all the companies and services that are part of Facebook. We are continuously working on new technologies that can inspire people, increase the productivity of people and companies, or offer new types of shopping experiences. This is how tools and developments such as Facebook Shops, Messenger Rooms, the Instagram video format Reels or our Oculus products in the field of virtual reality have been created recently.