App kills Facebook “beauty” ads

We’re generally loathe to pass along any details of the latest Facebook app, but we’re making a NewsCut exception in this case:

The campaign, however, is only underway in Australia. Mashable reports:

Users, both men and women, can send these replacement messages to their friends using the Facebook application. We’re not exactly sure how the app works — namely, we’re not sure how the app is able to buy up ad space for specific users. Dove nor its agency, Ogilvy UK, could not be reached for clarification on the matter.

Update 5:15 p.m. 4/25/12 – An update and correction from Facebook. The ads do not actually replace or cover other ads.

According to ClickZ:

Though a video describing the app suggests it “lets you replace those feel-bad ads with messages designed to make women feel good instead,” it doesn’t actually obscure other ads from being seen. Rather, the more people who download the app and create ads, the more Facebook ad impressions are used to promote the Dove-branded messages.