1. Nielsen Is Going To Start Counting Snapchat Views

Snapchat often seems like a modern-day Rubik’s cube to marketers who are befuddled by (among other things) the completely non-public nature of the platform.  Measurement has been an issue from the start—sure you can reach the coveted Gen Z audience, but how many, where and when—and so the Nielsen ratings are going to be huge for Snapchat.What Nielsen is promising to do is use its Digital Ad Ratings to measure Snapchat’s “3V” ads—those full screen video ads user opt in to from the platform’s Live Stories and Discover sections. Measurement will include mobile audience reach, frequency, demographic composition, and gross ratings points, with ratings for Sponsored Geofilter and Sponsored Lens campaigns coming in the future.Why It MattersSnapchat seems determined not to repeat the mistakes of other social media platforms who to their detriment, resisted the notion of advertising for a very long time. While there  are reportedly billions of video views daily, those numbers reflect the private snaps users send to their friends. Understanding how many users actually see the opt-in V3 ads, who they are and what they respond to, will go a long way towards establishing Snapchat as a valuable advertising platform.What You Should Do About ItIf you want to reach the under-25 audience, then you want to be on Snapchat. Study the ratings when they come out to see what’s working and what isn’t and adjust your strategy accordingly. If you’re new to Snapchat, talk to our friends at Delmondo, they are Snapchat experts and can answer all your questions about how to use the platform. 

2. Facebook Launches Canvas

Continuing with the theme of social platforms and advertising, Facebook launched Canvas this week, a product that’s been described as “Instant Articles for Brands.” The ads start off as basic unobtrusive newsfeed ads, but expand into something like a full screen microsite, with multiple layers, slideshows, videos and a high level of interactivity. Like Instant Articles, the Canvas ads load quickly.Facebook is claiming a high level of acceptance for the ads, with users spending an average of 31 seconds per ad, and over 70 seconds for the best ones. Overall 53% of users view more than half of the entire “canvas” an engagement rate that should prove very attractive to brands.Why It MattersAt a time when advertisers are freaking out about ad blockers, fraud and below-the-fold placement, Facebook (and its 1.5 billion users) provides a safe haven. By giving advertisers units that look more like microsites than ads, they are creating yet another reason to shift ad budgets, mobile ad budgets in particular, over to social. By making creating these ads a no-brainer, Facebook is also making it easier for brands and networks to try Canvas out.What You Should Do About It Experiment. TV show promotions in particular seem well designed for Canvas ads, as they allow for both video and graphics and fans of TV shows are more than happy to spend time with their favorite program, even in ad form. Pay attention to metrics too and make sure that you’re getting enough bang for your buck with your current creative.