What Happened
In its latest bid to capture its “next billion” users in emerging global markets, Facebook is introducing a new ad unit designed to adapt to the limited mobile bandwidth in those markets. Aptly named “Slideshow,” this new ad product allows brands to replace video ads with 3 to 7 still images to create a slideshow up to 15 seconds long. Coca Cola, the first brand to try out this ad unit, successfully reached 2 million African consumers via Facebook and raised brand awareness by 10 points for its Coke Studio Africa project.
What Brands Need To Do
Facebook has long been working to capture consumers in emerging global markets, starting with the Internet.org project it launched in 2013 to provide free internet access in less developed countries. Earlier this week, the social network announced a new initiative that slows the internet connections at its company headquarters on Tuesdays to give engineers and employees a better understanding of what it’s like to use Facebook with a 2G connection.
For global brands that wish to conquer these emerging markets, Facebook’s approach provides a great example of how brands can work around the technological and infrastructure limitations in those markets and design a user experience that’s tailored to the realities of those consumers.
Source: AdAge