New Facebook Video Ads Platform

By pinnacleadmin / 15 April 2014 / Advertising, Social Media / 2 min read

Facebook are always on the lookout for their next game-changer and in early March of this year, they took on the television by launching a new video advertising platform. Termed by Facebook as Premium Video Ads, this feature taps into the popularity of online video to offer advertisers another opportunity to reach their audience with engaging content.
Sold in 15 second spots, video ads are currently only available to a select few U.S partners but the network does have intentions of rolling it out to all advertisers in due course. When these videos appear in news feed, they automatically play in mute. This attention-grabbing tactic encourages users to click on the video to watch it in full screen with sound for the full ad experience.

Demo:

The ads are purchased in the same way as ads on TV, a move which is part of Facebook’s aim to simplify their ad buying process. In their blog post, the social network stated that the idea of these ads is to “reach a specific audience over a short period of time.” Ads are purchased based on Targeted Gross Rating Points with delivery measured by Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings – advertisers pay only for what’s measured.
Facebook are taking on this new project with a strong focus on content quality. Working with a company called Ace Metrix, the network will assess the creative and engaging levels of each video ad, taking into account factors such as meaningfulness, watchability and emotional resonance. Not only will this maintain the quality of user experience but will help advertisers to maximise their ROI.
With Premium Video Ads, brands on Facebook can expand their reach and engagement levels through a media that makes up a third of all online activity. Video is popular, Facebook know it and advertisers will flock.
What are your thoughts about this new feature? Do auto-play video ads sound annoying? Are Facebook harming their user experience? Leave us a comment below…