After months of preparation Facebook has used the opening of the FIFA World Cup to kick off its premium video in Australia with McDonald's taking up the first ad.
Australia is one of the first markets outside the US to launch the video service. Initially, Facebook is vetting both the advertisers and the creative before letting them loose on the platform. Facebook creative director Mark D'Arcy's Creative Lab team is the unit running the rule over the ads with the hierarchy acutely aware of the risk that more intrusive ads could turn users off the platform.
Two more major advertisers are preparing to launch Facebook premium ads in coming weeks with Westpac expected to being among them.
McDonald's used the platform to launch three versions of its FIFA World Cup campaign.
Facebook Australia New Zealand managing director William Easton said the introduction of the service in Australia opened a new window for advertisers to engage with consumers.
“We are excited to work with one of the biggest brands in Australia for the launch of one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” Easton said.
“With over 10 million people on the Facebook platform every day, Premium Video provides a compelling opportunity for brands to share their content, at scale, in an engaging and creative way.”
DDB created the ads specifically to run on Facebook.
Mark Wheeler, head of digital marketing and sponsorship for McDonald's Australia New Zealand said the opening of the FIFA World Cup was the perfect opportunity for McDonald's to make the video push into Facebook.
“We are delighted to be one of the first global partners to run premium video outside the US and showcase some really engaging content,” Wheeler said.
“Facebook gives us a unique opportunity to connect with our core audience at scale and is one of our few strategic partners across digital."”
While Facebook has had discussions with a number of advertisers about premium video ads, many are waiting to see the reaction to those that make the first move.
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