Facebook Introduces New Desktop Video App Ads and Mobile App Ads

To help developers with app install efforts, Facebook is introducing two ad formats - Desktop Video App Ads and Mobile App Ads with the Carousel Format.

Desktop Video App Ads has moved out of closed beta, expanding the ability to use video creative in desktop app ads. The video unit has similar functionality to Facebook mobile app ads and is now available through Power Editor, Ads Create Tool, API and Facebook Marketing Partners. 

Desktop Video App Ads offers the ability to do the following: play automatically in News Feed; offer a persistent call-to-action over the video pop-up for ads rendering on the right-hand side of the page, and have an end card that appears after the video ad has finished with options to replay the video or install the game.

Facebook offers these best practices for implementing desktop video app ads:

- Produce initial concepts based on creative from top-performing Facebook static ads as a starting point

- Feature attention-grabbing content for at least the first 2-3 seconds

- Leverage text overlays so that sound is not required to understand the content

- Post simple and easy-to-digest video content that is very polished and engaging

- Make the creative 15-30 seconds in length and show actual gameplay

- Avoid reusing mobile creative assets for desktop as it can cause confusion

- Ensure the actual desktop landing page that the creative points to is interesting and relevant

Facebook has also expanded the capabilities of its carousel format. Previously only available for link ads and dynamic product ads, the same carousel format is now available for mobile app install ads and mobile app engagement ads.

The carousel format gives developers more creative real estate in a News Feed to showcase compelling imagery for a mobile app ad. Developers can showcase up to five images within a single ad unit and Facebook will optimize the order of the images based on the relevance to each targeted individual. Carousel mobile app install ads are now available in Power Editor, the API and through Facebook Marketing Partners.