Gatorade, Michael Kors are first to try out Facebook’s new 360-degree ads

Gatorade and Michael Kors are among the first brands to test out Facebook’s 360-degree video unit that it unveiled at Cannes Lions earlier this summer.

Described by the social network as an “immersive experience,” the full screen ad is assembled similar to how Facebook deployed publisher’s Instant Articles in May. The ad canvasses the entire mobile screen with videos and pictures that users navigate using their fingers. Also, the content is housed on Facebook so it loads quicker.

The ads are being rolled out slowly with Michael Kors, Gatorade, Mr. Porter and European retailer Carrefour Spain being the first brands to explore the new format, Ad Age reports.

Here’s what Gatorade’s ad looks like:

The ads, which don’t have an official name yet, have an obvious advantage over sponsored posts and other units on Facebook because they’re more attention-getting. Facebook will likely charge brands more for this high-quality content, Recode notes.

“We look forward to seeing how marketers use this surface to create compelling experiences for people and drive key objectives, including brand affinity and direct response,” Kelly Graziadei, Facebook’s head of ad products, said in a statement.

There’s no timeline as to when Facebook will serve the ads to the public, but if they’re already this far, it’s likely sooner rather than later.

Image courtesy of Facebook.

https://digiday.com/?p=134312

More in Media

Meta AI rolls out several enhancements across apps and websites with its newest Llama 3

Meta AI, which first debuted in September, also got a number of updates including ways to search for real-time information through integrations with Google and Bing.

Walmart rolls out a self-serve, supplier-driven insights connector

The retail giant paired its insights unit Luminate with Walmart Connect to help suppliers optimize for customer consumption, just in time for the holidays, explained the company’s CRO Seth Dallaire.

Research Briefing: BuzzFeed pivots business to AI media and tech as publishers increase use of AI

In this week’s Digiday+ Research Briefing, we examine BuzzFeed’s plans to pivot the business to an AI-driven tech and media company, how marketers’ use of X and ad spending has dropped dramatically, and how agency executives are fed up with Meta’s ad platform bugs and overcharges, as seen in recent data from Digiday+ Research.