Share

Facebook introduces features for video ads

To that end, Facebook published a press release today outlining some updates that will be rolling out to video ads, as well as addressing some guidelines that advertisers can follow for maximum effectiveness, according to Facebook’s own analytics.

Advertisement

“Captions will be able to communicate additional information without alienating viewers”.

If a video in a Facebook feed starts playing sound loudly when people aren’t expecting it, then four out of five people will react negatively both to the platform on which the video is playing and the advertiser, according to the social-media giant’s research.

In another study Facebook did with Nielsen (read here), it found that up to 47% of the value in a video campaign was delivered in the first three seconds, while up to 74% was delivered in the first 10.

This can make life tough for brands hoping to tap into Facebook’s vast audience with some great video content. These include automated captioning for sound-off videos, new metrics, and Moat integration/in-view buying. The reason? Because nearly everyone hates it when an ad (or nearly any video) automatically plays with sound, especially on a phone.

As revealed in the Facebook announcement, Facebook users watch over 100 million hours of video daily. And that causes a negative reaction toward Facebook and the advertiser in 80 percent of the consumers surveyed. Facebook’s automated caption tool will roll out in the weeks ahead, initially for American English captions.

“We wanted to let our guests know that we use chicken that is raised without antibiotics, so we created a video that told that story”, said Robert Cifarelli, communications manager of A&W Canada, in a statement.

It’s estimated that the captions will increase viewing time by an average of 12 per cent. With that in mind, Facebook advises its advertisers to change their ad strategy. “Video advertisers that tailor their creative with visuals that get people to stop scrolling and watch will drive the best business results on Facebook”.

Advertisement

But while Facebook’s huge reach makes it a vital platform for promoting video, the social network has been criticised for not doing enough to protect original, creative video work. The idea is to give advertisers more control so they can tap into the opportunity mobile video offers, which is real and growing each year.

Periscope Landscape