Facebook, at long last, finally seems to be getting the hang of the whole advertising thing.
In addition to the pleasantly whimsical "Say Anything Better" ads, which have been rolling out in recent weeks, the social network has been working on a cute series of tutorials called "Just In Case Studies"—which use quirky storytelling to explain how to accomplish various technical steps on the Facebook app.
Four videos have been released so far. The best of the lot is "How to Block Someone," which shows a girl doing just that with her boyfriend after a painful breakup—though it doesn't exactly go as planned. Like all the videos in the series, it's quietly amusing, relatable, nicely shot and charmingly self-conscious—with a voiceover that's just as halting as our heroine.
The tutorials, made by Facebook's in-house creative studio The Factory, also include "How to Edit a Post," "How to Share With Just Friends" and "How to Untag a Photo." They're not ads, per se—but they have the same bemused tone as the "Say Anything Better" spots.
And that's a good thing.