Serving It Cheap

Facebook launched a new ‘Slideshow’ ad feature in emerging markets to give a video-like experience in countries with low connectivity.

Slideshow is a light-weight ad format that advertisers can use to create video ads from still images. A company blog post explained, “Slideshow reduces the need for video production time and resources, and because of its smaller file size, it extends eye-catching ads to people on basic devices or with poor connectivity. In early testing, we found that a 15-second slideshow can be up to 5x smaller in file size than a video of the same length.”

Nikila Srinivasan, product manager for Emerging Markets, Facebook explains, “Most people who come online and use Facebook once a day watch at least one video per day. That’s an incredible opportunity. However, we do recognise that producing a video requires a high budget and for consumers across different connectivity and devices, it can be a challenge to connect with the stories marketers are telling them. Therefore, we launched Slideshow which enables businesses to deliver beautiful videos and stories without much cost or time.”

This ad format will allow the company to monetise people it is bringing online in emerging markets such as India and Africa on its Internet.org platform.

Kelly MacLean, product marketing manager, Ads for Emerging Markets, Facebook highlighted at a press conference that the aim for Facebook is to enable marketers to, “Reach everyone, across any level of connectivity, how and when they want to connect.”

BRAND BUZZ
Catching The Chatter
In its latest attempt to attract more advertising dollars from big brands, Twitter launched a social listening analytics tool, ‘Brand Hub’. The tool will help advertisers understand their brand’s share of conversation across all channels.

This 360-degree, real-time view gives the brand the opportunity to learn, take action, and see the impact of its initiatives on Twitter. Additionally, it allows advertisers to see the demographics of the audience talking about their brand to add a personal touch to future content.

DIG THE DATA
Close Connect
According to Webby report, 70 per cent of 18-34 year-olds use smartphones in the bathroom and 51 per cent use smartphones while eating with family. Millennials also use mobile devices to inform their health and fitness choices, and have even contributed to a large growth in mobile fitness apps. Nine out of 10 millennials believe the Internet gives them access to the kinds of jobs they are suited for.

Prefer Mobile
Optimove data shows that 96 per cent of social casino gamers like to play games on a single platform (either the Web or mobile). Of those ‘single platform’ players, 65 per cent prefer mobile to the Web.

LEADER
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw @kiranshaw Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon
“We can only celebrate the success of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ when improved rankings translate into increased investments”

Kunal Bahl
@1kunalbahl CEO, Snapdeal
“We may be the generation that gives the most back to society, but we are the generation that takes the most away from our planet”

(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 30-11-2015)