Publication date: 23 Sep 2019

New types of interactive mobile ads

Facebook is rolling out new types of mobile ads that allow users to interact in news feed.

• Video poll ads: Advertisers can insert a poll question and two corresponding response options to a video ad. Such ads can be placed only in the Facebook mobile news feed. The number of characters is limited to 80 and 24 for the question and answers, respectively.

• Augmented reality (AR) ads: AD ads allow users to try products using their camera. For instance, users can try on shades of lipstick to see what it would look like on their face and then share their photos or videos in Messenger or Stories.

• Playable ads: Advertisers can also create a game specifically for mobile news feed. The tool is now available to all advertisers, not just gaming companies.

A service that will advise users on their outfit choices

Facebook will use artificial intelligence to help users dress up in a fashionable way. Fashion++ is a new service that advises how people can improve their outfit by adding or removing an item (scarf, bag, brooch), or changing something (tuck in a shirt, etc.). The AI is trained by being shown thousands of fashionable images. Fashion++ simply offers recommendations without pushing users into buying new garments.

Many other platforms use AI to offer users one or another product. For example, VKontakte is working on a technology for recognizing objects in photos and videos. That will help users find products they’d like to buy. Snapchat, in its turn, allows users to search Amazon by pointing their Snapchat camera at a physical product or barcode.