Why Facebook's new ad update is actually kind of a big deal

So last year, Facebook launched it's Audience Network to help advertisers reach higher levels of engagement with their content through extended campaigns (in other words, those beyond Facebook and into other mobile apps). Brands rejoiced when this update was released as it meant that there was even more scale for their FB campaigns, bringing those mega benefits from traditional advertising through the platform to app-based mobile experiences.

Today (well, yesterday) the social channel announced 'a significant expansion of ad types and formats available in the Audience Network' that promises better outcomes for advertisers, as well as the people that use their app. Now this just doesn't happen overnight; there must have been some real meaty changes behind the scenes to allow for this new service. They've also battled quite a bit of controversy over their introduction of video autoplay, so it's interesting that this feature has now been replicated on their app ads too, which is why the biggest game changer for me is Native Video.

Native Video

Over the last 6 months Facebook has been experiencing an increase in publisher adoption of native ads - 5 times more apps are now using native ads compared to the start of 2015 and 'represent over 80% of impressions in the Audience Network'. You can upgrade to the latest software development kit for iOS and Android to take advantage of these and, by using the newly introduced MediaView, you can run the autoplay function directly on apps. This is mega as it means brands/advertisers will get more bang for their buck, encouraging greater impressions while 'maximising the yield for each impression served'.

For more information, Facebook has released a video available here.

Unique Formats for Interstitials

Yeah, so I totally had to Google 'interstitials'... in the most basic form, and excuse me if unlike me you are a genius and know what this means, but any web page that is displayed before or after an expected content page (e.g. newsletter sign up or age confirmation) is an interstitial. So this is that. For apps. Now we can get down to the nitty gritty on what this actually will look like and what it means for advertisers.

Facebook has been quite clever with this update as they've drawn the development from its most high performing ad formats. If you're already using Audience Network, you can start using the formats without any changes to your existing ads.

Through Dynamic Product Ads brands can create adverts which will deliver better results as they can base them on the products people have visited the most in their website or app, making them more relevant to their audiences. Like Google's ad retargeting was a big thing, the feature allows for a more personalised approach to shoppers on the platform, with a number of retailers and e-commerce businesses with large product catalogues already reaping the rewards.

Carousel Ads give advertisers more wiggle room for creativity with up to five images being showcased in a single ad unit. We know just how powerful strong, creative imagery is, particularly on social media. This is a big development for Facebook, rivalling it's counterpart Instagram which recently introduced ads for all on its platform, so it will be interesting to see how this unfolds. Although, the key difference here is that full-screen interstitials also deliver click-to-play videos - giving users complete control over their experience.

So while Facebook continues to develop it's social platform to cater more towards advertisers and brands (obviously because this is where they get their dollar), where does this leave consumers? Well, the fact that brands are already experiencing greater reach and interaction with their ads surely means that users are already more engaged with the platform's content. Advertisers are able to deliver richer and more relevant experiences through their efforts which, from the response it has already received, can only mean that this area of Facebook is likely to grow. But is it sustainable? We all know how Facebook updates its algorithms on the regular to help to deliver a better experience for its users, but it seems to me that it can't always please everyone!