Facebook increases focus on mobile with 'immersive ads' and Conversion Lift update

After unveiling the idea at Cannes Lions this year, Facebook has started testing a new ‘immersive mobile’ advertising format. The ads look like sponsored posts in the News Feed, but when tapped, they open full screen and allow the viewer to flip and scroll through text, photos, videos and other content. It looks like an alternate version of a brand’s website, but will load more quickly and be more interactive because the content is native to Facebook.

Facebook is testing the format with Gatorade, accessories brand Michael Kors, online retailer Mr Porter and French retailer Carrefour. For now, the ads will only appear on Facebook’s iPhone and iPad apps, state media reports.

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Last week, Facebook began testing the new mobile ad format that offers a blank creative canvas for brands to turn their ads into something closer to an app, similar to the Instant Articles editorial format that Facebook has been testing with publishers like The New York Times and National Geographic.

Facebook has also announced updates to its Conversion Lift measurement tool. In January, the company had launched Conversion Lift to help marketers better understand the additional business their Facebook ads drive.

In a blog post announcement, Facebook said, “advertisers come to Facebook to grow their business and connect with customers, and part of growing your business is advertising smartly. That’s why back in January, we launched Conversion Lift, a measurement tool for Facebook advertising that helps marketers understand the additional business Facebook Ads drive.

“Today, we’re adding new capabilities to Conversion Lift that help marketers understand exactly which of their Facebook ads are driving their ad objective best. The updated Conversion Lift measurement tool helps advertisers make more informed marketing choices, so they can continue to grow their business.”

According to the post, conversion lift studies can now be set up to measure lift across purchase channels, like stores, websites and apps, so advertisers can get a holistic view of their ad performance. Multi-channel measurement shows the advertiser the overall effect their ads contributed and can also be viewed by channel to see how the ads drove sales in store, online or in app.