Facebook Gives Advertisers a Bigger Canvas

Allison Howen
by Allison Howen 26 Feb, 2016

The website that opens after a consumer clicks on a Facebook ad is often slow and not always optimized for mobile, but now the social network is fixing this problem.

The solution is called Canvas, Facebook's new post-click, full-screen immersive mobile ad experience that loads nearly instantaneously. With Canvas, advertisers can create a full-screen multimedia experience with a mix of video, still images, text and call-to-action (CTA) buttons. The solution enables consumers to move through digital stories quickly and easily, such as swiping through a carousel of images, tilting to view panoramic images and zooming in to view images in detail. Plus, Canvas leverages the same technology that makes photos and videos load quickly on Facebook, meaning that Canvas ads load as much as 10 times faster than standard mobile websites.

"We made the creative community a priority when we designed and built Canvas. It's a product that represents our commitment to creative craft and delivering the best mobile experience for businesses and people," said Chris Jones, head of creative technology, Facebook Creative Shop.

It is important to note that Canvas is a mobile-only experience and it works on both Android and iOS. Advertisers with access to Power Editor can start using the solution now. Early adopters of Canvas include Coca Cola, ASUS, L'Occitane and Lowe's. For instance, Coca Cola's Canvas reached nearly 16 million people and had an average view time of 18 seconds. ASUS, on the other hand, created a Canvas that resulted in a 42 percent increase in clicks on their ad, with consumers who clicked the ad spending an average of 12 seconds viewing the content. What's more, 70 percent of people who clicked on ASUS's Canvas ad went to the company's website when they were done.