Facebook Launches Video Ads in the US

Facebook video adFacebook has pulled the covers off its Premium Video ad product, which promises 15-second slots for advertisers to ‘reach a large audience with high-quality sight, sound and motion’.

The ads, initially going live with a ‘select group’ of advertiser, will automatically play without sound as they appear on the screen and stop if the person scrolls past. If you tap on the ad, the video expands into full-screen mode and users can then swipe sideways to see more content.

Interestingly, Facebook says these ads will be bought on metrics borrowed from TV – gross rating points measuring reach and frequency  – in order for advertisers to hit a ‘specific audience over a short period of time’. Nielsen will meausure the results and advertisers will only pay based on these results.

Facebook has partnered with Ace Metrix to help them understand if the ads are as engaging as other content in the newsfeed. Ace will deliver performance indicators like watchability, meaningfulness and emotional resonance.

Facebook started testing the ads back in September and revelead at the end of the year that it saw a 10 per cent increase in engagement with the content during that period. The ads will be rolled out slowly in order for all parties to understand user reaction and then optimise the content.