Facebook is testing an advertising model that customizes ads for individual users by cross-referencing IP address data that links Facebook profiles with user video streams.
The social network said it is targeting ads to users who are streaming TV shows via Roku or Apple TV devices, according to Bloomberg. Facebook video ads haven’t quite lived up to their potential, given that users must choose to engage by clicking for sound, and more often choose to not engage by simply scrolling past the ads. Thus, the company is now testing ads streamed across more traditional TV offerings, since the sound is on by default.
A spokesperson for Facebook said the company is testing the targeted ad route with A&E’s shows The Killing and Duck Dynasty, as well as streaming startup Tubi TV, Bloomberg reported.
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But Facebook still needs a good way to track how effective these ads are, the report noted.
Other social media leaders including Twitter are also trying to boost revenue with video advertising. Twitter partnered with the NFL to show ads during Thursday Night Football, a venture that proved successful when many viewers watched full ads with sound, Bloomberg reported. Snapchat owner Snap is also analyzing viewership data on its short versions of the show The Voice to help show value to advertisers.
Facebook and its social media competitors aren’t the only companies interested in more targeted advertising opportunities, of course. A wide range of players are investing in the digital ad space in order to more effectively tailor advertisements to individual users.
Indeed, AT&T’s new DirecTV Now service boasts more targeted advertising options, the company has said. And Verizon has purchased a range of ad-tech companies like AOL in order to bolster its own advertising offerings.