Twitter tentatively trials ads in its Stories-eqsue format Fleets
Twitter is broadening its advertising real estate by opening up its Fleet format for seeding public conversations to commercial interests in the US across both iOS and Android interfaces.
Twitter is scrambling to keep pace with the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok
Launched in November last year, Fleets are Twitter’s answer to Instagram Stories, providing a medium for people wishing to share their fleeting thoughts without leaving a tweet embedded on the internet for all eternity.
Instead, people are encouraged to share their momentary musings, photos and personal updates safe in the knowledge that their Fleet will vanish after 24 hours, eliminating the risk of an egregious point of view or bad hair day resurfacing at a future point.
Never slow to spot an advertising opportunity, Twitter is now opening up the format to paid messages in a pilot US program involving just 10 select advertisers, including the first full-screen vertical ad formats to be used on Twitter.
Twitter is scrambling to keep pace with the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, all of which have introduced vertical ads of their own.
Fleet adverts of unspecified frequency will be sandwiched between messages from followers and are presented in 9:16 format, displaying up to 30 seconds of content and incorporating a ‘swipe up’ activation mechanism.
Advertisers will also be afforded access to a full suite of metrics to gauge the success of the new format, helping Twitter to optimize their offering and maximize engagement.
Twitter is focused heavily on the Fleets format, despite criticism from some of a growing homogeneity of social media platforms, pledging to continue investment in new products, updates, and features as part of continuing efforts to monetize its offering.
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