Facebook facilitates Canvas ad development with new API

Dive Brief:

• Facebook has released a new API to make it simpler for developers to create full-screen Canvas ads for advertisers, according to a blog post from the company. 
• Marketing Land salutes the automation as rectifying what was a labor-intensive process to craft the immersive, interactive ads that involved manually uploading photos and videos, and inputting texts and links on Facebook’s desktop site. The publication explained the API allows for easier repurposing of Canvas ad elements for use in additional campaigns or different iterations of ads. 
• Adweek highlighted Facebook is touting the API as enabling Canvas ad developers to scale creation, generate templates and deliver insights. The social-media network also emphasized Canvas ads can improve brand and product education, and drive customer acquisition. 

Dive Insight:

Facebook has been tweaking Canvas since the social media network introduced the ad format officially in February last year. In September, Facebook gave Canvas ads 360-degree capabilities and let Canvas developers link to other canvas ads for multi-page experiences. The API is the latest effort on the part of Facebook to accommodate marketers and developers, and further build its Canvas program, which has largely been cheered for showcasing narratively rich stories without slowing the load times of mobile websites.

Facebook relayed details of successful tests of the new Canvas API by three third-party partners. Smartly used the API to make a template that can be filled dynamically with relevant information from catalogs, permitting advertisers to seamlessly generate hundreds of Canvas ads. MakeMeReach fashioned multiple versions of a Canvas ad to evaluate content quickly in order to focus spend on the best performing Canvas creative. HYFN took metrics such as engagement rates, clicks and views available through the API and overlaid them on Canvas ads to clarify insights for decision-making purposes.

As suggested by the HYFN case study, Facebook is thinking about metrics as it enhances mobile ad creation. In an article last month, TechCrunch noted the company had been measuring clicks on its advertising, including Canvas, and now measures clicks out of the ads to businesses’ websites as well. Instagram advertisers are privy to the same information.