Facebook has introduced a new CPV bidding model, giving advertisers the option to part with cash only on video inventory viewed for 10 seconds or more.
In development since June, the new feature is now available globally to advertisers who consider video views as their primary performance metric.
However, Facebook recommends that advertisers continue to optimise for total views, based on three-second stints, which it claims still increases recall and brand lift among consumers.
A cover-all option
On its Marketing Partners blog, the company states that for the “vast majority” of brand marketers, buying via reach and total views remain the “most optimal” options to enhance brand metrics and maximise ROI.
“We understand that delivering a brand’s full message is important to our advertisers as well. For advertisers that prioritise view duration, CPV bidding is likely the right choice for them,” reads the statement.
Diversifying its bidding options would suggest that the social network is seeking to bolster its status as a cover-all option for video advertisers, having earlier this year attributed a 39% year-on-year increase in earnings to a rise in video advertising on the platform.
Video view standards
In a year plagued by debates over display viewability, standard models for video viewing metrics have seemed a long way off for some of the industry’s major publishers.
Instagram followed Facebook’s former lead of a ‘view’ – being any video watched for three seconds or more, while YouTube put the same label on ‘around’ half a minute.
Facebook’s new model suggests that this could be set to change, as advertisers increasingly place a value on hard metrics over ‘soft’ indicators such as brand recall.