I N T R O D U C I N G

C H A N G I N G T H E W O R K P L A C E&

D I G I T A L M A R K E T I N G

:

F A C E B O O Kis preparing to launch a brand-new, workplace product

sometime this year. Facebook at Work is an identical versionof the infamous social network, but is designed specifically

for communicating with colleagues.

Julien Codorniou, the head of Facebook at Work, stated in aninterview, that the pilot program is ending & will most likely

launch a free version by the end of the year.

M O R E T H A N100 companies are using Facebook at Work,as a part of the testing phase of this product.

Heineken has been testing the product with40 of their top executives. They are now

planning on expanding Facebook at Work to all550 of their US employees.

"It's unrealistic that organizations try to lockpeople out of social. It's like telling people that theycan't have their own personal phone[s], and I think

that's how millennials are perceiving that."

- Ryan Holmes, CEO of Hootsuite & Part of a Beta Group for Facebook at Work

T H E F E A T U R E SFacebook at Work will have the same look & features as Facebook:

Users use their work email to create the account (one that is not connected to theirpersonal account).Facebook at Work will become its own, standalone app for mobile users.Users can form groups, send private messages, post links on timelines, updatestatuses, and can access the platform from any device.Facebook at Work has a new color scheme, but that detail has not been revealed yet.

The overall goal is to improve workflow, increase productivity, inan effort to decrease dependence on email.

Cordoniou explained that they are going to change the way theymake money with this version of their social platform.

Instead of ads, they will have users pay for extra features oranalytics within the accounts.

O N C E F A C E B O O K A T W O R K I S L I V E ,

they will be in direct competition with Slack & Microsoft.

How does Facebook plan to dominate the competition?

Users who tested the product say that "familiarity" willattract customers, since most people are already well-

versed in using Facebook.

"If somebody comes into the company, theyknow how to use this tool from day one. So

training cost is zero. That's important."

- Ryan Holmes, CEO of Hootsuite & BetaGroup for Facebook at Work

T H E P R O B L E MAn issue that could potentially arise would

be that Facebook needs to convinceemployers that using their product will not

result in a loss of productivity.

"[Facebook at Work] is about newsfeed, events, followingpeople & updates. It's about what people use regular

Facebook for. It's a lot of broadcast communication andchat. Chatter is good for culture & morale; it's not good for

managing work."

- Courtney Hunt, Digital Expert & Founder of the Denovati Group,about the new product & their expectations

Does The Gang think that Facebook atWork is force to be reckoned with?

Follow us on Twitter (@Pepper_Gang) & use thehashtag #AskPG for our insights!