Facebook video advertisements set to be launched in July

Last week, it was reported in the Financial Times that Facebook is set to launch 15-second video advertisements to its News Feed. Brands such as Unilever, American Express and Coca-Cola are to take part in the initial trials. The new feature is expected to be rolled out for all brands in July.

What are the new ads?

Facebook has seen a steady rise in the number of unique viewers of videos on its platform. According to a recent report from ComScore Video Metrix, there were 47.7 million unique viewers of video content on Facebook in the US in August 2012. By February 2013, this had risen to 61.2 million in the US — surpassed only by Google sites (which include sites like YouTube). As more users view video content on the social media platform, it makes sense for Facebook (and its shareholders) to allow brands to target them with video advertisements.

The Facebook ad videos are expected to be 15 seconds long and will play automatically without sound. Users will then have the option to play the advertisement from the start with sound if they are interested. 

Initially, Facebook will allow advertisers to target one of four demographics: women over 30, women under 30, men over 30, and men under 30. The plans are also said to include limiting the advertisements users see to those from a single advertiser per day, with the price for an advertisement likely to be in the ‘low $20s’ per thousand video views.

What will be the impact of the ads?

The video advertisements come at a time when Facebook is increasingly appealing to brands with features designed to target users more effectively. Along with ‘Partner Categories’ and ‘lookalike audiences’, the new video advertisements present a compelling case for brands.