Openness and collaboration growing around mobile video creation claims Facebook creative shop's Rob Newlan
Facebook's team of creative heads are tasked with engaging with both brands and agencies, to utilize Facebook Live to create authentic moments and connect with people. At the forefront of this collaboration is Rob Newlan, Facebook creative shop EMEA director advised in a recent interview with BeetTV that taking live feed and targeting people is something far more businesses and brands could and should be doing.
"Sports brands are bringing themselves onto live and it is a fabulous connection with the audience. It is really about a value exchange, and the reciprocity of what a user is getting from the brand and what the brand is getting from the user," Newlan said.
"Cultivating and sharing where things are and the creative community embracing social as a medium is still new to people. There is a real move to making that mobile first video."
Newlan has been in the job for six years, after helping to manage Guinness and Coca-Cola brands and views the mobile video opportunity as three-fold and that includes on the go moments, lean forward moments and sit back moments.
Ideally, any brand or advertiser seeks that 'sit back moment' in mobile advertising, where the user might sit down and watch as long as the story goes on. Many are still grappling with 'on the go moments' that are viewed as people are going to work or "they’ve got that moment at the bus stop,” Newlan said. For engagement to go further, you have to create that lean-forward moment, where it’s something they’re really interested in. Further, the ultimate “sit back moments – are something a user is really interested in and they’re going to watch it for as long as that content is good.”
The opportunity around being more prolific, is also about testing production models so they can adapt and learn. Overall there is a curiosity to fit a certain platform and media and there is no question that Facebook Live and authentic video content will build ever more interesting experiences for people.
"Live is one of the most exciting projects out there. Similar things should be happening through live this year. We are creating authentic moments and how that is playing out. It is a social moment that creates a very special connection rather than being interrogated," he said.
Newlan also spoke about what he saw taking place around the creative use of Facebook when it came to video: "We're seeing shifts forward and we are seeing differences around the world and different agency groups. There is a real move towards making a great mobile-First. Idea and we are seeing a few different areas that are changing on that and a real jump forward in collaboration." He added that openness between different parties working on a project was increasing in his view.