Video is already the most effective medium for connecting with consumers thanks to the power of sight, sound and motion. But what if there were a way to let people become even more immersed in your video ads? To help advertisers deliver richer experiences, we’re introducing 360 degree video ads on YouTube.
360 degree video ads let you engage your audience in an entirely new way. Available today in Chrome and the YouTube app on Android and iOS, viewers can explore every angle of your videos by dragging their mouse or moving their phone to shift their POV 360 degrees – up, down, left or right. Thanks to the ability simply to move your phone to see different parts of the video, 360 video ads are a truly mobile-first video ad product.
We’re thrilled that as soon as the ability to create 360 video became available to YouTube creators, brands immediately began experimenting with this new tool to deliver engrossing consumer experiences. Since then, we’ve seen stunning videos from Coca-Cola and Nike, among others (check them out on Cardboard!). And for those videos that were run as ads, campaign results have been impressive: for instance, Coca-Cola’s 360 video celebrating the 100th anniversary of their iconic bottle design outperformed standard in-stream video ad view-through rates by 36%.
And today, Bud Light becomes the first advertiser in the US to launch 360 video running in TrueView ads. The series of ads feature three different events from Whatever, USA – Bud Light’s takeover of Catalina Island. The immersive ads drop you right in the middle of the action, including a performance by Diplo, the welcome parade, and the “Turn of An Era” 1920’s themed party.
As with the recent launches of cards in TrueView in-stream ads and TrueView for shopping, 360 video ads offer you another way to deepen consumer engagement with your ads on YouTube. Compatible with YouTube HTML5 Rich Media Mastheads and now TrueView in-stream and in-display units, you can maximize the reach of your 360 degree video ads with the power and scale of YouTube’s most popular ad format.
To create 360 degree video ads, you will need access to one of the following 360 degree cameras: Ricoh Theta,Kodak SP360, Giroptic 360cam, or IC Real Tech Allie. All of these cameras are already available or coming soon. Once your video is ready, follow these steps to upload the video to desktop Chrome. Campaigns for 360 degree videos running as TrueView ads can be set up in Google AdWords and your Google sales representative can help you with YouTube Mastheads.
Whether you’re skydiving or experiencing what it’s like to stand in the front row of a Wimbledon match, 360 degree video ads unlock new opportunities for your brands to engage with consumers on YouTube.
Posted by JR Futrell, Product Manager, YouTube Ads
