What Happened
Don’t be startled by the unexpected loud sound you may hear next time you scroll past a video in your Facebook feed. The social network is said to be testing its autoplay videos on mobile to play with the sound on, as it aims to make its video products more engaging. The test is reportedly active in Australia, where some videos in the News Feed is playing with the sound on.
Why Brands Should Care
There have been some debates over the role of sound in social video ads, and publishers and brands have more or less adapted to the silent autoplay video (unless clicked upon) standard that Facebook sets by including more captions to make their videos watchable even without audio. Should Facebook choose to move forward with this test, it certainly creates new opportunities for brands to grab Facebook users’ attention with audio cues. But brands also need to beware of the potential disruption that autoplay video with sound may bring to the user experience, and should deliberate with the creatives to decide on the best approach for your social video campaigns.
Source: Mashable