 "Facebook with Creative Accelerator targets low-end handsets users and high-growth markets")
Facebook, the world’s largest social networking site, is interested in connecting with people who are either un-connected to the internet or have a slow bandwidth issue. This will not only increase its potential future users but also help in generating revenue from mobile advertisements.
On Tuesday, Facebook, in its blog, announced it was launching a programme called ‘Creative Accelerator’, designed to help brands unlock the power of personal storytelling in high-growth countries. Through the programme, the Facebook Creative Shop is working with seven clients—such as Coca Cola, Nestle, Durex and Samsung among others — and their agency partners in India, Indonesia, South Africa, Kenya and Turkey to bring brands’ stories to life.
While Facebook’s attempt to connect the next billion users to the internet through Internet.org is still under work, Creative Accelerator will allow brands to reach users who have low bandwidth or a patchy network.
The other interesting number was the monthly active users from the Asia-Pacific, 449 million for the last quarter of CY2014. It does not thus come as surprise that Creative Accelerator is aimed at countries in Asia-Pacific, and Africa.
“The goal is to help establish best practices for high-growth countries by developing campaigns tailored to the people in each country and the devices they use to experience Facebook,” said the social site giant. Facebook also stated that only because brands are building for everyone doesn’t mean that one size fits all. Facebook looks different on a feature phone than on a smartphone. The creative specs for feature phones and older smartphones differ from newer devices.
Other than a huge population to tap in, some of these emerging markets have been facing serious issues with regard to the quality of bandwidth. For instance in India, says a brand expert, there are three types of target audience—one, which is based in rural areas and is still on 2G network and uses feature phones or low-end smartphones. Second, one which is on 3G and user of smartphones and a third group will emerge from July this year, who will opt for a super-fast bandwidth with 4G and extreme high-end smartphones.
“The biggest learning for me — and this is overwhelmingly true — is that technical limitation is not a limitation of cultural sophistication. And, that creativity is not limited by the bandwidth or by any one phone a person owns,” said Mark D’Arcy, chief creative officer, Facebook’s Creative Shop.
Hareesh Tibrewala, joint CEO, Social Wavelength, agrees that brands over the past three to four months have started to ask for a need to have the same messaging irrespective of platforms, handsets and user type. “Video content has become extremely important, and brands are asking how they can tap into areas which have a low bandwidth network. Increasingly, people are connecting to the internet but in markets like India, there is a disconnect in terms of what they can access,” said Tibrewala.
Through brands such as Coca Cola, Nestle, Durex, Samsung, Lifebuoy, among others, Facebook is trying to reach out to the unconnected. For instance, Nestle Everyday used Creative Accelerator in India, as it wanted to reach people in both the metro and rural areas. “This is the first time Everyday will be positioning the brand against the category incumbent, milk, as a superior tea and coffee creamer, and it is the first time the brand used Facebook to develop a message using video and image story-telling,” said Facebook.
Creative Shop worked with the brand and its agencies, Publicis Delhi and Media Alliance, to develop creative accelerator based on peoples’ bandwidth strengths and device types. People accessing Facebook with lower bandwidths on feature phones and low-end smartphones received still images from Nestle Everyday. People with stronger bandwidth connections and more sophisticated devices receive videos in news feed.
“We are rolling up our sleeves to co-create with our partners. There is no better way to learn than by building together. The ability to tell a powerful story can connect people despite geographic, linguistic, technological and even cultural boundaries,” said Melissa Oppenheim, creative accelerator programme manager.
On Tuesday, Facebook, in its blog, announced it was launching a programme called ‘Creative Accelerator’, designed to help brands unlock the power of personal storytelling in high-growth countries. Through the programme, the Facebook Creative Shop is working with seven clients—such as Coca Cola, Nestle, Durex and Samsung among others — and their agency partners in India, Indonesia, South Africa, Kenya and Turkey to bring brands’ stories to life.
While Facebook’s attempt to connect the next billion users to the internet through Internet.org is still under work, Creative Accelerator will allow brands to reach users who have low bandwidth or a patchy network.
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The move is significant for Facebook and brands, too. A look at the social networking firm’s fourth quarter (ended December 31, 2014) states that almost 69 per cent of its ad revenues came from mobile, compared to 53 per cent during the same period of 2013. The report also said 526 million of its monthly active users access Facebook solely from their mobile devices.
The other interesting number was the monthly active users from the Asia-Pacific, 449 million for the last quarter of CY2014. It does not thus come as surprise that Creative Accelerator is aimed at countries in Asia-Pacific, and Africa.
“The goal is to help establish best practices for high-growth countries by developing campaigns tailored to the people in each country and the devices they use to experience Facebook,” said the social site giant. Facebook also stated that only because brands are building for everyone doesn’t mean that one size fits all. Facebook looks different on a feature phone than on a smartphone. The creative specs for feature phones and older smartphones differ from newer devices.
Other than a huge population to tap in, some of these emerging markets have been facing serious issues with regard to the quality of bandwidth. For instance in India, says a brand expert, there are three types of target audience—one, which is based in rural areas and is still on 2G network and uses feature phones or low-end smartphones. Second, one which is on 3G and user of smartphones and a third group will emerge from July this year, who will opt for a super-fast bandwidth with 4G and extreme high-end smartphones.
“The biggest learning for me — and this is overwhelmingly true — is that technical limitation is not a limitation of cultural sophistication. And, that creativity is not limited by the bandwidth or by any one phone a person owns,” said Mark D’Arcy, chief creative officer, Facebook’s Creative Shop.
Hareesh Tibrewala, joint CEO, Social Wavelength, agrees that brands over the past three to four months have started to ask for a need to have the same messaging irrespective of platforms, handsets and user type. “Video content has become extremely important, and brands are asking how they can tap into areas which have a low bandwidth network. Increasingly, people are connecting to the internet but in markets like India, there is a disconnect in terms of what they can access,” said Tibrewala.
Through brands such as Coca Cola, Nestle, Durex, Samsung, Lifebuoy, among others, Facebook is trying to reach out to the unconnected. For instance, Nestle Everyday used Creative Accelerator in India, as it wanted to reach people in both the metro and rural areas. “This is the first time Everyday will be positioning the brand against the category incumbent, milk, as a superior tea and coffee creamer, and it is the first time the brand used Facebook to develop a message using video and image story-telling,” said Facebook.
Creative Shop worked with the brand and its agencies, Publicis Delhi and Media Alliance, to develop creative accelerator based on peoples’ bandwidth strengths and device types. People accessing Facebook with lower bandwidths on feature phones and low-end smartphones received still images from Nestle Everyday. People with stronger bandwidth connections and more sophisticated devices receive videos in news feed.
“We are rolling up our sleeves to co-create with our partners. There is no better way to learn than by building together. The ability to tell a powerful story can connect people despite geographic, linguistic, technological and even cultural boundaries,” said Melissa Oppenheim, creative accelerator programme manager.