Facebook updates Slideshow advertising feature

Facebook is granting a comprehensive update to their slideshow ads feature which they launched in October last year. It was developed to help advertising in countries with low internet connectivity that hindered video advertisements.

With the newest set of updates, advertisers will now be able to make their slideshow advertisements much more interesting and eye catchy by adding text and music to the ads.

Facebook is also not letting the lack of access to a computer hinder advertising activity by enabling Android device support for slideshow ads. Facebook is also compiling a stock image database with thousands of photos to further simplify generation of slideshow ads.

The company is also offering a tool to simplify slideshow advertising in countries with low internet connectivity by offering another tool that converts video advertisements into slideshows. It automatically selects 10 images from the said video to effectively deliver ads to users with low internet bandwidth.

This time around, Facebook tested out the new updates to the slideshow feature with Unilever for their ice cream variant, Paddle Pop, in Indonesia. Unilever converted one of their successful television ads into a slideshow ad for Facebook.

“We know that more than half the consumers we serve in Indonesia have trouble viewing video, since they... experience unreliable mobile data connections or low bandwidth. Facebook’s slideshow solution helps us create a simple, lightweight yet engaging mobile asset from our current video creative. Now we don’t have to worry whether it will load fast for slow connections, so we have assurance that the ad delivers our complete brand message." — Yenni Nathalia, Brand Manager, Paddle Pop.

The social media giant has been placing emphasis on video advertising on their platform and it has been very well received. It was a huge hit with big brands and businesses on Facebook but small businesses could not harness the full potential of video ads due to it being an expensive proposition for many.

Brands with sizable budgets and a full inventory of video advertisements too faced trouble connecting with their audience in countries where internet connectivity was limited or slow.

Facebook devised a solution to these obstacles by developing slideshow ads which solved the aforementioned problems and opened the floodgates to new and creative ways of advertising on their platform.

Coca-Cola was one of the first companies to sign up to use slideshow. They used it in Kenya and Nigeria, countries with sparse internet connectivity, to raise awareness about their show, Coke Studio Africa.

Facebook has been increasingly accommodating to advertisers on their platform and slideshow is testament to the fact of just how important Facebook and businesses are to each other.