In a recent interview with Adweek, Ron Amram, senior media director of marketing of Heineken USA said Facebook is beginning to give YouTube a serious run for its money when it comes to video ads.
“YouTube and Facebook are equal players now, or at least close to it,” Amram told Adweek. “What we’re finding is that we have to consider Facebook as the key video partner going forward because not only does it have the reach but the effectiveness.”
Amram talked specifically about Heineken’s recent digital spots, which were shown in 35 million user news feeds and got 5.5 million views in three days. Keep in mind that Facebook’s ads play automatically when you scroll over them, so that views number isn’t a very accurate indicator of engagement. But that’s still an impressive stat. And the Heineken team was pretty satisfied:
The marketing executive didn’t reveal how much Heineken Light spent on the social videos, but said the cost-per-view rate made for a good return on the brand’s investment. “Facebook over-delivered on what we anticipated,” he said.
Facebook has been developing its video ads for a while, and they’re an attractive feature that is fast becoming the go-to choice for video advertisers. Unlike YouTube, Facebook ads don’t pop up in pre-rolls, making you sit through painful commercials while you’re trying to watch your chosen content. On Facebook, the ads play automatically, albeit without sound, and rely on the creativity and engagement of the visual to hook the viewer in. Its a much more proactive ad viewing experience. Put that together with Facebook’s powerful targeting tools and YouTube suddenly looks like an extremely pedantic way to reach a video viewing audience.
