Facebook Brand Cover Photos: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By Rosalyn Eishen | @rosalynchoo As the new timeline rolls out for everyone this week, brands are utilizing the new features, cover photo and admin panel for pages. Some have excelled at utilizing the change, while others have failed. We've identified what we think are the best of the best and the worst of the worst, with a little ugly in between.

The GOOD

ATT's Facebook Page creatively displays a mosaic of photos taken by AT&T customers on AT&T devices submitted by users. The theme will change periodically, but for their first timeline cover, the theme was “SKY”. We love this cover, because it engages fans and is visually appealing. Can't wait for the next theme!

The BAD

With 1,739,712 likes and one of the biggest tech companies in the world, you would think Microsoft would do a better job at making a cover photo. Sure, the photo matches their profile picture, but what does it have to do with anything? Why are there two girls taking their picture holding what I can only guess is a phone? It would be nice to see some photos of a Windows 8 desktop or something, but instead, Microsoft chose this. What’s up, Microsoft?

The UGLY

Sorry, Dove, but we think your cover photo has too many faces and is poorly edited. We like the fact that Dove uses real women as their models, but this photo just doesn’t do the brand justice. The choppy line of editing in the center of the photo is just too bad for a cover photo of a household name, and the position of the faces makes the image hard to focus on. We think you can do better, Dove!

The cover photo on your company's Facebook page is the first thing users see when they land on your page to learn more about your brand or show support.  Think carefully about the impression they are getting.

Do you agree or disagree with our choices of the good, bad and ugly? Are there any brand pages with exceptional (or horrible) timelines that you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below.

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