To date Facebook video ads have been auto-muted with the user having the option of turning sound on (industry figures suggest only 15% of people are doing so). The reason for this auto-muting to date has been that Facebook’s own research demonstrated that 80% of people react negatively to video ads with auto-playing sound. This resulted in a creative challenge; again it was Facebook who reported that 41% of video ads studied were meaningless without sound. They have been rolling out their auto caption functionality to help combat this but have now announced that they are testing auto-sound-on video ads in Australia for some users.
The reason for this testing is clearly to do with the ongoing battle for video budgets. Snapchat in particular will be seen as a huge threat as their users are much more accustomed to viewing videos with sound and so ads with sound fit more seamlessly into the user experience.
All Response Media Viewpoint
Here at All Response Media, we plan and buy media with creative execution in mind. Ultimately, knowing whether the key messaging requires visuals or sound or a combination of the two to perform well often requires a test and learn strategy. Our knowledge and experience of the available ad formats coupled with our ability to plan and execute a testing strategy gives our clients the insights required to fast-track their creative evolution and performance gains.
