Mark manages all aspects of editorial on MarketingTech as Editor, including reporting on the fast-paced world of digital marketing and curating the site’s network of expert industry contributions. Originally from Plymouth, Mark studied in Reading and London, eventually earning his Master's in Digital Journalism, and most previously covered goings-on in the idiosyncratic world of performance marketing for PerformanceIN. Facebook has launched a new set of tools to help marketers create mobile-ready video ads on its platform and Instagram, which include the ability to add motion to images and brand logos for simple animations. Announcing the update on a blog post yesterday, the social media platform cited its findings that mobile-first creative has a 27% higher likelihood of driving brand lift, while message association went up 23% compared to video ads not tailored for smaller screens. A Video Creation Kit will allow advertisers to turn existing images and text assets into mobile-optimised videos. These can be framed in a 1:1 ratio for feed environments or in portrait-style for the ever-popular stories feature on Facebook and Instagram. Advertisers can now also crop their existing video to the site’s recommended aspect ratios, so creative is optimised for either in-feed, in-stream or stories placements. The results can be dropped into one of four templates available to use, which have varying lengths depending on marketers’ objectives, such as promoting a product (6 seconds) or driving product discovery (15 seconds). Finally, and aimed at advertisers looking to fire out quick ads on the go from their business pages on mobile, simple video creation tools have been added so users can create templated videos from Page assets such as photos and company logos. “This tool provides an effective and easy way to create eye-catching video ads that look great on mobile, without major investment, in-house skills or additional assets,” read the post. “Simply select the animate option when boosting a post and a video will automatically be created for you. From there, you can use the video as created or customise it to suit your business needs.” Facebook first dropped news that a Video Creation Kit was on its way with the launch of slightly more novel (if less practical) AR (augmented reality) ads, allowing customers to virtually “try on” items within ad placements for things such as fashion accessories and cosmetics. Interested in hearing leading global brands discuss subjects like this in person? Find out more about the Digital Marketing World Forum (#DMWF) international event series, arriving in Amsterdam from September 19-20 and New York from November 7-8.
Facebook has introduced tools that allow advertisers to create mobile-ready video ads on its platform and also on Instagram. Using the Video Creation Kit, marketers can turn images or text assets into simple, mobile-optimised videos. The videos can be dropped into four of one available templates of varying lengths, such as a six-second promotional video.