Facebook's Audience Network introduces more video ad options

Today, Audience Network is expanding to support more video ads. These video ads will appear both in-stream (pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll) and in-article (starting with Instant Articles) from advertisers who want to drive brand awareness and recall. Now businesses will be able to extend the reach of their videos on Facebook and Instagram to other apps and websites within Audience Network where people spend their time.

This is the first time Audience Network will serve ads on desktop, allowing advertisers to reach people across devices.

Introduced two years ago, the Audience Network is a collection of apps and sites that advertisers can use to extend the reach of their Facebook and Instagram ads. These third-party apps and sites have a wide reach and account for nearly 6 per cent of time spent on US mobile. The Audience Network has historically focused on direct response ads, both image and video, but now, it offers a solution that optimises results for marketers focused on brand awareness and recall.

Two formats for Audience Network videos

The Audience Network will deliver ads in both in-stream and in-article formats. The delivery in each channel will match viewers’ expectations of the site or app they are on. In-stream video ads will play before, during or after (pre-roll, mid-roll or post-roll) video content on third party apps and sites across mobile and desktop. USA Today Sports Media Group and Daily Mail are two of the test partners for in-stream and in-article, respectively. In-article video ads will appear on mobile pages of publishers, such as Daily Mail, between paragraphs of text and play automatically when at least half the pixels are viewable. In this format, the viewer must opt-in for sound. In-article delivery will start with Instant Articles (articles that load immediately upon clicking from News Feed for a fast, immersive reading experience).

Improve return on ad spend with more placement channels

With more places to deliver content, Audience Network can better maximise value for advertisers who want more brand exposure through video. Globally, advertisers that opt-in to the Audience Network can generate approximately 10 per cent more incremental reach than using mobile News Feed alone. Plus, it can increase the ability to show the most relevant ads to each viewer. For instance, if the targeted audience spends more time in a particular app than on Facebook or Instagram, the video will be shown in that app more often. Early tests indicate that advertisers gain lower cost per view by enabling all their videos to show on Facebook, Instagram and the Audience Network.