Are you aware of Facebook’s Live Video feature? That thing which allows you to stream video to your friends and subscribers in real time? If you aren’t, you are now and expect to be reminded of it a lot in the near future. Approximately eight months after debuting Live Video to Android users worldwide, the social media giant is now extremely confident in the quality of its service but would like to increase its general user base. If you think that means an enormous marketing campaign is in order, you’re completely right. Earlier today, Facebook announced a major advertising operation which will promote the Live Video feature to consumers in the US and the UK.
The campaign won’t just encompass traditional online ads and billboards but will also deliver promotional TV spots, bus ads, and possibly some semblance of guerrilla marketing. Facebook even gave us a glimpse of one such ad designed for US bus stations. The poster is basically a tutorial and its headline tries to grab your attention by promising to teach you how to go “Live” when you see someone walking an animal other than a dog. What follows is a four-step process written in smaller print which states that you ought to say hello to that person because you’re sure they have a story to tell and open your Facebook app when the time is right. From there, the ad instructs you to hit the camcorder icon located on its home screen and tap on “Go Live.” The fourth step recommends you introduce your existing Facebook friends and subscribers with the aforementioned person and let them ask questions.
Facebook’s marketing head Garry Brigs stated that the entire campaign was designed around authenticity and most videos it showcases weren’t made for promotional purposes. While Facebook stated that the number of Live Video users went up four times in the last five months, the social media giant still didn’t give an exact figure. Combine that with the fact that it has just announced a major marketing campaign possibly worth millions of dollars whose sole purpose is promoting Live Video and it’s fair to presume that the company feels its feature isn’t growing as fast as it should. Or maybe it just feels many more people would use the feature if they were aware of it. In any case, expect to see a whole lot of Live Video ads in the coming weeks and hopefully more new features, as well.