Mark Zuckerberg has made no secret of his intention to evolve the network to being “video-first.â€
An aggressive ad campaign is in the works at Facebook’s in-house ad studio, The Factory, according to a report.
The social media giant is hoping to encourage more people to start using its Facebook Live feature by launching a promotional blitz that will make its way to billboards and television commercials, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing unidentified sources familiar with the matter.
The ads are said to be targeting ordinary users who might not turn to the feature as much as, say, media publishers do. At least some of the spots will curate clips from actual users’ recorded live videos to help “show people what’s possible†with Facebook Live, according to one of the people who spoke to the Journal.
It is not clear when or where the ads will run, or how much is being spent on the campaign.
But the announcement is relatively unsurprising given Facebook FB 0.09% CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s intention of evolving the platform into a “video-first†network one day, as well as emphasis from other top executives that a grander plan is underway.
“If I was having a bet, it’d be video, video, video,†Facebook’s vice president in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Nicola Mendelsohn said at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International summit in June.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg this week said the company was still in the “really early stages†of monetizing video, according to Adweek. GE’s series of videos at the Rio Olympics showing the tech behind the event was one example of Facebook Live being tested for marketing purposes, said Carolyn Everson, the company’s vice president of global marketing solutions.
