Ads are everywhere nowadays, with most digital advertisements sticking to an established format where clicking on one leads to another page. Facebook is now trying to change this up by launching a new platform dubbed Canvas.
First announced back in September last year, these Facebook Canvas ads appear as sponsored posts in the News Feed. Clicking on one opens up a full page glossy advertisement within the site which the company promises will provide users with an immersive experience. It can be extensively customized through the addition of pictures, videos, text and call-to-action buttons.
Facebook is using the same technology it uses for its own pictures and videos for Canvas ads, translating to up to 10 times faster loading time than regular web pages. Speed plays a major role in helping consumers decide whether they want to explore an ad or not, so this could prove to be a key point in Facebook’s favor when it pitches the format to companies.
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So far, Facebook has teamed up with a number of brands like Coca Cola, Burberry, Netflix, Asus and BMW for Canvas. It claims Coca Cola’s ad has reached over 16 million people who viewed it for 18 seconds on average, a lifetime in the advertising business. The initiative is now open to everyone across the world and works with the Android and iOS mobile platforms.
Canvas continues Facebook’s recent focus on keeping users inside the walls of its site, something it’s trying to achieve with its Instant Articles tool within the publishing world. While the latter is set to help the social media giant retain readers, the former will likely bring in the big bucks.