MUMBAI: Smartphone adoption in India may not be as deep as in mature economies, but the country's broad range of devices should be no barrier to the delivery of compelling visual ads, according to the managing director of Facebook India.
Speaking to Exchange4media, Kirthiga Reddy said people around the world are gravitating to video and that the channel is particularly effective for advertising as long as advertisers know their audience and take account of device capabilities.
To reach consumers with a 3G or 4G smartphone, she recommended that advertisers create an engaging, short video to ensure the smoothest load times and to deliver a message quickly.
It is even better to customise a digital video ad to appeal to different audiences, such as men and women, and that the ad is tested and optimised as it progresses.
But even for those consumers still relying on feature phones, they can be reached through visual communication, she said, while adding that marketers should consider deploying ads with images or links that bolster their brand story.
"It is important to deliver the most well-designed ad based on that mobile device and the bandwidth," she said. "The best part is you can tell your story across all devices.
"We encourage publishers and advertisers to upload native videos to Facebook as they can take advantage of two benefits – videos will play automatically in News Feed, and videos will have view counts."
She said it is also important for advertisers to understand what type of message consumers want to receive – whether it is to be informed, entertained or to find out how to improve their lives.
Reddy was speaking after Facebook delivered its first update about its Creative Accelerator programme, which was launched in March to encourage growth in emerging markets.
The social network said video consumption is "sky-rocketing" across the world, particularly in high-growth regions, and that FMCG giant Nestlé had seen success with its "Theatre in a Cup" campaign in India.
The campaign "connected with people across rural and metro areas in India using photo or video ads, depending on the person's device and connection speed," the company said
According to Facebook, the campaign increased brand awareness by 9% and purchase intent by 5%.
Speaking to Exchange4media, Kirthiga Reddy said people around the world are gravitating to video and that the channel is particularly effective for advertising as long as advertisers know their audience and take account of device capabilities.
To reach consumers with a 3G or 4G smartphone, she recommended that advertisers create an engaging, short video to ensure the smoothest load times and to deliver a message quickly.
It is even better to customise a digital video ad to appeal to different audiences, such as men and women, and that the ad is tested and optimised as it progresses.
But even for those consumers still relying on feature phones, they can be reached through visual communication, she said, while adding that marketers should consider deploying ads with images or links that bolster their brand story.
"It is important to deliver the most well-designed ad based on that mobile device and the bandwidth," she said. "The best part is you can tell your story across all devices.
"We encourage publishers and advertisers to upload native videos to Facebook as they can take advantage of two benefits – videos will play automatically in News Feed, and videos will have view counts."
She said it is also important for advertisers to understand what type of message consumers want to receive – whether it is to be informed, entertained or to find out how to improve their lives.
Reddy was speaking after Facebook delivered its first update about its Creative Accelerator programme, which was launched in March to encourage growth in emerging markets.
The social network said video consumption is "sky-rocketing" across the world, particularly in high-growth regions, and that FMCG giant Nestlé had seen success with its "Theatre in a Cup" campaign in India.
The campaign "connected with people across rural and metro areas in India using photo or video ads, depending on the person's device and connection speed," the company said
According to Facebook, the campaign increased brand awareness by 9% and purchase intent by 5%.
Data sourced from Exchange4media, Facebook; additional content by Warc staff
