Facebook's Autoplay Video Roll Out

This past week I noticed as I was scrolling down my Facebook newsfeed that I no longer needed to click on a video to play it and that it would automatically play it for me. After some research, I realized I was part of a 1 percent focus group that Facebook was testing its new video rollout on. Many industry experts believe that this autoplay video is the biggest change the site will ever undergo with massive implications for advertisers. 

Companies like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Film Production companies with new trailers would be able to get an ad placement on millions of user news feed effectively moving traditional television marketing into the realm of social media marketing. As the head of digital marketing at USA Network says, “Any time there is a new ad product on a platform the size of Facebook you would be shortsighted not to want to lean in. Facebook will have no problem selling these ads.”

While it seems like an easy move for advertisers to translate their TV campaigns into Facebook clips, Amir Kassaei, creative chief at DDB states “It’s a completely different category. I don’t know if anyone has an idea how to develop a social type of video format that is interesting. The format alone will not be enough; it’s about the content you have and relevance.”

At the end of the day, this video rollout has been a long time coming for Facebook. How advertisers choose to use it will determine its overall success.

   
Source: http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/brands-are-anxious-about-facebook-s-cautious-video-rollout-153577