Facebook is Testing VR Ads
Once again highlighting that business owners need to keep on top of emerging Facebook trends, the social giant has announced that it is now testing virtual reality advertisements. Michael Tan, a software engineer at Oculus VR, has said that the endeavour is now ready for testing and that Facebook VR ads are going to start to be displayed within Resolution Games’ Blaston title in the Oculus Quest.
Facebook is describing this new format as ‘in-headset’ advertisements and it has been identified as one strategy the social platform is hoping will become another way for developers to generate revenue. Ultimately, Facebook wants to establish itself as a self-sustaining platform with the ability to support a range of different business models.
The initial testing phase is going to be small and FB claims that community and developer feedback will be taken into consideration for future developments. For many, this announcement was only a matter of time. So, what exactly could this mean for your business?
The Potential of Facebook Virtual Reality Ads
Facebook VR ads could provide many businesses with a unique opportunity to connect with a new and really targeted audience. There is no denying that every part of the online landscape is seriously competitive, which means that businesses like yours need to consistently find innovative ways to connect with different sections of your audience in the right places.
Facebook is particularly keen to enhance the consumer experience using VR technology and to start generating outcomes (and money!) from the investment it has made into many augmented reality (AR) initiatives over recent years.
What Does This Development Mean for Privacy?
Facebook develops Oculus VR technology but it has specifically stated that all Facebook virtual reality ads will need to comply with strict advertising rules. This means that users will have the option to hide advertisers or specific adverts to enhance their browsing experience. During the testing phase, Facebook will certainly be keeping a close eye on whether users choose to hide these new VR ads or choose to engage with them.
Although Facebook won’t use any information that is processed and/or stored on an Oculus headset, the platform is still pushing all Oculus owners to use their Facebook account to sign in. So, this means that Facebook can and almost certainly will use the personal data it has access to in order to serve highly targeted ads. After all, Facebook knows that advertising is at its most effective when consumers are served relevant, high-quality ads.
As this is a really new initiative for Facebook and the scope of and potential for this project is still evolving. Facebook is eager to continually invest in ads that are as seamless and unobtrusive as possible, providing new ways for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
However, as always, Facebook wants to position itself as an ever-evolving platform that knows how to push boundaries. So it’s not surprising that it is choosing to explore a range of new advertising formats that will be unique to the VR space. This suggests that it has big ambitions here and many in the industry are going to be watching with interest to see how Facebook VR ads are going to continue to develop.