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Facebook Bows 'Slideshow' Ads

When it comes to mobile advertising, less is more -- at least as far as data usage is concerned. With a growing number of consumers using ad blockers to keep data-hogging ad programs off their devices, the major online advertising platforms are all working to minimize data demands to avoid incurring the wrath of consumers.   

On that note Facebook is rolling out its new “Slideshow” advertising format, which allows advertisers to deliver messages in the form of a series of images to create “video-like” motion, providing a less data-intensive option than actual video ads. The Slideshow ads are pretty stripped down, not even offering audio messaging capabilities -- many consumers would probably say that’s a blessing -- and therefore available at a lower price point. However Facebook claims a 15-second slideshow is equal in effectiveness to a 15-second video (which naturally begs the question why anyone should spend more on the video ad).

Because they use much less data, Slideshow ads are also better suited for advertising on mobile devices with limited bandwidth and slower Internet connections, including the kind of devices owned by many consumers in the developing world. In fact Slideshow is part of a larger push by Facebook to bring social media and online advertising to emerging markets.

Last month Facebook revealed that it is planning to launch a satellite in collaboration with Eutelsat, a French-based international satellite communications company, and another company, Spacecom, in order to bring Internet access to underserved regions of the globe. The satellite will likely be carried into geostationary orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket owned by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s commercial space launch firm.

In July Facebook launched a program to bring more mobile operators on board with the Internet.org initiative, with the promise of providing free access to certain online services for their customers. And in June it launched a new version of its Android app called “Facebook Lite,” which uses much less data by paring down the social network to its essential functions.

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