In order to empower small businesses in emerging markets, Facebook today launched slideshow – a lightweight video ad solution made from a series of still images.
The new feature is in line with Facebook’s efforts to make sure that another billion people can connect using Facebook and use features that work seamlessly regardless of mobile network and device.
The slideshow video ad is especially targeted at SMBs in emerging markets where most of the people are still doing so on mobile via 2G connections using feature phones.
Slideshow is both a video creation tool and a new ad format which helps advertisers tell brand stories in emerging and high-growth countries and can be used by small businesses who do not have the resources to create videos. Slideshow makes it easy for advertisers to create video ads from still images by simply uploading three to seven still images—they can be from an existing video, a photo shoot or even stock imagery from Facebook’s library—and choose the length of the slideshow, from 5 to 15 seconds.
The slideshow application will allow marketers and businesses to make engaging videos for their consumers, thus allowing them to tap into the rising growth of video consumption the world over. The application aims to counter the challenge provided by slow internet connections in emerging markets which makes video content delivery a challenge for advertisers in these places.
Chris Marra, Emerging Markets Product Manager, stated in a global FB press roundtable, “About a billion of us are connected on Facebook. In the next five years, the number of people using internet will double from the current 3 bn. India is about a third of the next billion people who will come on the internet.”
The roundtable was live-streamed from Facebook HQ in Menlo Park today.
Additional benefits slideshow creates for advertisers and people:
- Gives all businesses the ability to create video assets: slideshow reduces the need for video production time and resources. Businesses can use its own images or simply pull stock imagery from Facebook’s library.
- Reach more people with video on all devices: the smaller file size helps advertisers reach more people with eye catching video ads regardless of device or connection.
- Takes up less data: a 15-second slideshow can be up to 5x smaller in file size than a video of the same length.
Slideshow is rolling out to Power Editor and Ads Manager over the coming weeks. Currently, the feature won’t be equipped with sound but it will be rolled out soon.
Kelly MacLean, Product Marketing Manager Ads for Emerging Markets, stated, “ If one looks at the GDP growth for the next five years, over 60% of it will be coming from emerging markets. Hence there is a massive opportunity for business in these markets where many people will be coming online through mobile first or mobile only. Hence there is a very different mindset business have when as they try to reach these people. Along with vast opportunity, they have their unique challenges such as real time marketing constraints.”
Nikila Srinivasan, Product Manager for Emerging Markets, stated that more than 50% of Facebook’s advertising revenue comes from the US and fastest growing markets in Asia Pacific. No wonder Facebook’s latest efforts are in line with its efforts to reach out to more businesses and people in emerging markets. In his visit to IIT Delhi this week, founder Mark Zuckerberg had stressed on the fact that Facebook’s mission to connect everyone in the world cannot be done without the largest democracy India being connected to all. Similarly, in a major first, Facebook has chosen an Indian startup Tookitaki as it first Facebook Marketing Partner from the country, as a part of its Facebook Marketing Partners Program. The program was created to help businesses scale their marketing efforts on Facebook.
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