Facebook Launches Mobile Video-Ready Ad Format, Collection

As of last week, Facebook has introduced a new ad format dubbed Collection, aimed at giving its advertisers a way of cornering the growing user interest in mobile video. 

The launch marks Facebook’s most significant addition since Canvas in early 2016 – a mobile format which gave users the chance to click to expand ads, tackling issues of ad intrusiveness with an opt-in approach. 

As described in a post on Facebook Business, Collection looks to engage users with an “experience” in order to drive traffic to the advertiser’s site, featuring a primary video or image above relevant product images, where click-through takes shoppers to a product page on the connected retail site or app. 

On demand for the new ad product, the social network claims that 45% of online retail journeys now feature at least one mobile action, while three in four consumers claim watching videos on social platforms influence purchase decisions. 

“People are watching more videos on mobile, and shoppers want to see products as they exist in the real world—but they also expect fast-loading, seamless experiences when they discover and buy on mobile,” said Facebook. 

So far, Adidas and Tommy Hilfiger are two of the advertisers early to the trials, with the latter’s chief brand officer, Avery Baker, claiming to have generated an ROI increase of over 200% with the format, adding that the consumer experience “reflects how digital natives interact with their favourite brands”.

Performance tracking improvements

Alongside the new product launch, Facebook is also rolling out a trial of outbound click metrics over the coming weeks, geared at formats – such as Collection and Canvas – that open into “full-screen experiences” on mobile. 

When rolled out, this will assist Facebook advertisers in gaining a clearer picture of how much traffic their spots on the social network are driving.

This will also extend to Instagram, where for the first time, advertisers will be able to distinguish between clicks driven to Facebook pages and those away from the social network altogether.