Facebook Canvas is now ‘Instant Experience’: our analysis

Facebook last week launched the ‘Instant Experience’ ad format – effectively a rebranding of Facebook Canvas, whose popularity has soared over the past year. The social giant notes that the number of campaigns featuring this highly immersive format has more than doubled in the last 12 months.

Patience is short – Speed is key

In online transactions – whether that be lead generation or purchasing a physical product – speed and user experience are key. One study has found that 47% of online consumers expect a page to load within 2 seconds or less, and 40% of them will abandon a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Attention span is limited, and in rebranding the Canvas ad format, Facebook’s message is clear: Instant Experience is the full-screen, immersive, mobile experience for a generation of consumers who value speed and seamlessness.

To highlight the value of Instant Experience, Facebook noted in their announcement that this ad format now loads 15 times faster, on average, than standard mobile websites. That’s a huge deal for seamless mobile experience, and could be the key to seeing your business’ conversion rates improve drastically!

More than a name change?

While the name change seems to be a move to better describe what makes the ‘Instant Experience’ format special, it also signals the introduction of some new features and functionality. A series of templates for different business needs are one part of this, built to help advertisers quickly create immersive mobile experiences. Amongst others, they include:

• Instant Storefront – helps primarily e-commerce businesses sell products in a pre-built grid format.
• Instant Storytelling – incorporates a combination of images and video to give people a better feel for the brand. The full-screen experience also helps to remove distractions so you can tell your story more clearly.
• Instant Form – allows advertisers to easily capture contact information in a full-screen experience that loads almost instantly.

Power of instant immersion: Jockey

Jockey is an immediately recognisable brand, and one with a very strong image. To boost product awareness and sales of their innovative new RealFit Bra product, Jockey needed a campaign that could mix story-telling and performance. They found the Canvas format (now Instant Experience) perfect for this type of ‘brand-formance’ campaign, since it allowed them to showcase the product and related technical information all within the one ad.

Jockey were happy with the results of the campaign, which saw an average canvas view duration of 35 seconds – more than the average duration of a TV ad!

In addition, Facebook users who clicked on the ad saw an average of 53% of the creatives, which means that they spent time on it, digging into the design and technical features. Finally, this campaign ended up with an estimated cost per ad recall of only $0.13.

New pixel capabilities

Another exciting feature within the renamed Instant Experience format is focussed on the Facebook Pixel. As an absolutely crucial element in effective Facebook advertising, the Facebook Pixel will now be automatically added to Instant Experiences for any advertiser who already has it installed on their website. The pixel facilitates remarketing efforts, enabling businesses to re-engage with customers who interacted with their Instant Experience. Having the Facebook Pixel as an automatic part of this ad format means you’ll have the valuable insights at your finger tips, without any extra work or set up.

Not sure if you have the Facebook Pixel correctly installed on your website or working as it should? It’s likely your missing out on a huge number of opportunities that remarketing with the help of the Facebook Pixel could bring! Download our Complete Guide to the Facebook Pixel, for a step-by-step guide on installing the pixel and tips on getting the most out of it.