Video: How Facebook Became a Role Model for Mobile-First Companies

With many travel brands making the shift to mobile, Facebook realizes that it isn’t easy adopting new platforms and technology to communicate with consumers on mobile devices.

During the Skift Global Forum 2016 in New York City in September, Digiday’s President and Editor in Chief Brian Morrissey sat down with Sarah Personette, Facebook’s vice president of global business marketing.

Personette explained that the social networking company wasn’t a mobile company until after 2012 and had been predominantly a desktop company until that point. “Originally we placed the wrong bet when we placed the bet on HTML 5,” Personette said. “We realized that was not the right thing and had to pivot our entire company.”

To that point, the shift to mobile has completely disrupted the purchase path, said Personette. “When you’re on mobile, you’re in a discovery mindset which is totally different from desktop.”

Travel brands should have a three-pronged strategy to ensure they’re future-proofed on their journey towards mobile optimization, which Personette said Facebook has ingrained in its company culture. They are, 1) Make sure there’s a mandate from the top for mobile, 2) Set expectations clearly and 3) Get the right training and talent for a mobile-first business.

You can watch the full interview, below.

Read more coverage of Skift Global Forum 2016

At this year’s Skift Global Forum in New York City, travel leaders from around the world gathered for two days of inspiration, information, and conversation for panels such as this as well as solo TED-like talks on the future of travel.

Visit our Skift Global Forum site for more details about 2017 events, including our London event in April of 2017.