August 25, 2017

The Figaro Digital Digest: 25th August 2017

It appears that if you blinked, you probably missed summer here in Britain this year. You won’t miss out on the latest digital news though – we’ve summarised the biggest stories into one handy post for you to peruse.

Facebook Launches In-Stream-Only Video Ads

No more will dozens of impressions be wasted and ads have to multi-task to appear to both browsers and those waiting to watch video content.

Facebook’s latest venture will mimic YouTube as it begins selling video ad space that will only appear in videos that are watched on its platform or across its network of third-party sites. As a result, video ads will be shown in line with clips that relevant users are most likely to watch.

“In news feed we continue to have feed-style ads where the video ads run between stories. And increasingly we’re offering advertisers in-stream ads … to reach people when they’re leaning back and watching video and that’s a natural ad experience in that environment. So with this announcement we’re excited to offer both of these things to advertisers who are running campaigns with us,” said Facebook product marketing manager Kate Orseth.

Google AdWords Updates its Terms and Conditions

Remember those things you were supposed to read when you first set up an account? Well, Google AdWords is updating its terms and conditions and there are a few changes you should know about. These worldwide changes will ensure that:

• There will be more flexibility to inform you via phone, text or email
• New product and feature testing provisions
• New provisions on technical error and bug disclosures
• New data protection terms

You can read and review a full list of these terms and conditions by singing into your AdWords account.

Facebook to Penalise Fake Videos

Facebook’s latest algorithm update will soon start penalising photo posts that mimic video thumbnails, as well as video posts that feature only a static image. Users who share these posts will see their content demoted and it will lower the ranking of that post in news feeds.


(image: Facebook)

On its blog, Facebook said:

“Publishers that rely on these intentionally deceptive practices should expect the distribution of those clickbait stories to markedly decrease. Most Pages won’t see significant changes to their distribution in News Feed. But, as always, publishers should refer to our publishing best practices.”

Record, Upload and Share Videos on LinkedIn

Last month LinkedIn began testing video and since have seen many personal and inspiring videos hosted, therefore many marketers are now predicting the platform will soon take advantage of native video advertising.

Not only will video offer a seamless user experience, but it may increase user engagement for brands. The result is yet to be seen, but this could provide advertisers with the functionality this platform has traditionally lacked.

For more news updates, guides and opinion pieces, take a look at a few more of our articles.