Social In-Stream Advertising Offers Many Perks, Challenges

Social platforms could look a lot like Netflix in the future. As evidenced by Snapchat Discover, Twitter’s live programming, Facebook Watch and now Instagram's IGTV, the biggest social players are exploring TV-style content, which signals that more in-stream video advertising opportunities are on the way. Frank Amorese, senior media director at Heineken USA, spoke with eMarketer’s Tricia Carr about what’s to come for in-stream advertising in the social sphere. Amorese was interviewed as part of eMarketer’s August report, "Video Ads in Social Media 2018: Shows Are Everywhere on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter—But Are People Watching?"

We see in-stream, mid-roll ads as a way to get a little bit more time with the audience, and in a way that’s not too intrusive. Usually people are invested in the content, so a short ad break isn't too much of a negative user experience.

As an alcoholic beverage advertiser, these ad products make it to us a little bit later on down the line. We want to test in-stream ads on Facebook, but they have to make sure the targeting is done right.