We’ve seen Instagram introduce auto-play video within user feeds over the last several months, and Facebook is in the process of doing the same. Select Facebook users have had this feature ungated on their mobile feeds, and it’s easy to see that advertisers will be next. Much like Instagram video ads that we discussed in this previous blog piece, Facebook auto-play video ads will no doubt be introduced first to Facebook selected brands that have a history of successful sponsored content. There are 3 perspectives to view this exciting new ad platform from:
Source : Adweek
1.) Facebook: They’ll make fistfuls of advertiser dollars and keep users on Facebook as opposed to clicking off to Youtube to watch videos. Big win. Yay for Facebook, again.
2.) Marketers: This is another example of social media offering an incredible opportunity to touch users with high value content, but once again, on the flip side, creating compelling and meaningful messaging becomes increasingly important. Especially in the infancy of auto-play Facebook ads, the line between positive brand building and negative exposure will be thin. Users shouldn’t be left with a sense their space was invaded by a brand, but rather their news feed was enriched. It’s becoming cliche, but the importance of quality content has never been higher.
3.) Users: Because it’s easy and fun to be angry, most casual users will be sharpening their pitchforks when they see their first mobile ad, but I see it in a positive light. We enjoy when our friends share a great commercial/blog article/whatever piece of content on our wall. Sharing is what makes social media great. Video ads give us the opportunity to see great content from brands we already love and brands we might not be familiar with. Of course, like every other type of advertising, we’ll have to deal with junk, but overall, video should be a positive addition to the newsfeed.
