Facebook on Thursday launched video ads that will be available to a select group of marketers.
Reuters reported that 15-second video ads will appear in user newsfeeds with muted sound. The videos were launched after testing in December, the report said.
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Facebook is testing features that would allow advertisers to choose slots during the day, and to customize ads' reach and frequency. Bloomberg also quoted an anonymous source saying the ads will cost anywhere between $1 million and $2.5 million a day. It further said that Facebook has been cautious in introducing ads so as to not disturb user experience.
Bloomberg also quoted Facebook vice president ads product marketing, Brian Boland, as saying, "In the past we've done more stuff to just ship things quickly and see what happens in the market. Now, instead of just throwing something out there, we're making sure that we're getting it right first."
"Facebook users won't see one of the ads in their news feeds more than three times a day," said Facebook spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt to Bloomberg. The 1.2 billion users of the social network guarantee advertisers a super-bowl sized audience on daily basis, it was said.
In order to maintain quality of the ads, Facebook will work with Ace Metrix, an outside company that would verify advertisement creativity in terms of meaningfulness, watch ability and emotional resonance, Recode reported.
Bloomberg further reported that Facebook is seeking a major share of television ad-spending, expected to touch $66.8 billion, a substantially bigger amount compared to annual Internet advertising spending of $43 billion. Quoting unnamed sources close to the matter, Bloomberg Businessweek said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was heavily involved in the developing of the idea. It also added that targeted Facebook campaigns have a reach of 92 percent on average, as the social media giant knows the profiles of its users adequately well.
