Facebook opens up to the vices

Announced recently, Facebook says that they will be implementing tools and protocols to better control, target, and ultimately market things like beer, wine, and spirits to their now over 100 million users worldwide. Many marketers have chosen the simplest route, and that's a simple fan page with demo and geo targeted content. Facebook's tools can limit access to certain content to 13+, 17, 18, 19, 21+, or "legal drinking age where you live".Here are 3 tactics recommended by Facebook:

1. Use Settings to Restrict Access to Your Page: Facebook allows you to restrict access to your Page to users who say they are over 13, 17, 18, 19, 21, or the “legal drinking age where they live.” To change this setting, go to its edit page and change the “Settings” at the bottom.

2. Use FBML Tags to Restrict Certain Content within Your Page: You can use FBML to restrict certain content on your Page according to the viewing user’s declared country and age. For example, if you have rights to certain content in North America but not other locations, you can show different things to folks outside that region

3. Target Your Messages to Certain Demographics: When sending a message to fans of your Page, you can restrict who receives your messages by declared age, geography, and gender. To change this setting, select the “Target this update” box when sending a message.

The two top branded app-vertisments I found, for Miller and Absolut are as follows:

1. Today I’m Toasting - Miller

“Miller was looking to engage young people online in an interactive and social way. To meet their goals, Miller and Digitas worked with us to design and build a toasting application that celebrates everyday with fun random holidays,” says Kevin Barenblat, Context CEO. The application is one of the first branded alcohol apps to use Facebook’s newly launched demographic restrictions; interaction with the app is limited to those who say they are over 21.

2. Absolut Top Bartender - Absolut

In partnership with NBC, Absolut is sponsoring a series of 5 events in 6 key US markets - New York, Chicago, LA, Miami, San Francisco, Las Vegas - in a search for the best bartender. “NBC will film and distribute the real world competition, and all online activity - bartender registration, event organization and promotion, and voting for the best bartender - will be managed by us using Facebook applications we built for Absolut’s page,” says Barenblat.