Facebook's new friend-driven advertising: a step in the right direction, or a callous invasion of privacy?

Facebook recently announced that advertisers can now target friends of users who are already a fan of their brand. These "two degrees of separation" users will also see in the ad that their friend is already a fan of the brand. This is a strong step towards microsponsorships, where companies will go directly to their fans to ask for endorsements that can then be displayed to facebook friends and ostensibly other users in the same geographic area and cultural demographic.

Marketers who take advantage of this are capitalizing on something that's been well-known all along: word of mouth (even if it's the company's word's coming from your unaware lips) is powerful.

As a Facebook user and consumer, does this long reach of fan pages make you uncomfortable? I can imagine situations where a user might react negatively if they knew their likeness was being directly used to sell a product. That is why I strongly recommend that companies strengthen their relationship and brand message by reaching out to existing fans in a respectful fashion by (1) asking permission before they advertise using a fan's likeness, and (2) crafting an even stronger connection by asking that fan to post a custom message explaining why they're a fan of that brand.

Is personal relationship-driven advertising hitting all the right buttons for brand connection, or is this getting too close for comfort?