Uncovering the Ad Power of Reels on Instagram and Facebook for Meta
Reels and feels: what’s so special about short form videos?
In today's fast-paced world, short-form videos (SFVs) have taken the social media landscape by storm. These dynamic video clips, known for their quick storytelling, seamless editing, and boundless creativity, have become a favorite among people worldwide. Not only are social media creators drawn to SFVs, but businesses have also recognized their potential for telling brand stories and connecting with customers. Platforms like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Meta's Instagram and Facebook Reels have emerged as key players, captivating audiences across the globe with this new content format.
Amidst strong competition, Meta sought to delve into the essence of Reels, exploring what sets it apart from its competitors. The goal was to understand what makes Reels compelling, uncover how people respond to engaging content, and gain insights across many diverse markets worldwide.
Capturing a range of opinions across key markets around the world
To address Meta's questions, we embarked on a journey of discovery through a large-scale quantitative survey. Our exploration spanned multiple relevant Reel markets, including Australia, and India, with a robust sample size of respondents per market.
The survey covered several aspects:
Illuminating the ad potential of Reels
In India, our research led to an astonishing discovery—77% of people had made a purchase after watching Reels. This powerful statistic revealed in a Meta India video, caught the attention of local press and was featured in several publications along with Meta's launch of #MadeonReels. The pioneering #MadeonReels program empowers brands across diverse verticals in India to harness the advertising power of Reels by partnering with creators, driving impactful connections with their audiences.
Similarly, in Australia, 74% of people purchased a product or service after watching Instagram Reels whereas 60% messaged a business. Many findings likes these from our research in the Australian market have been compiled in Shift to Short: The Report. Launched by Instagram Australia, this guide aims to educate brands on the advertising potential of SFVs. and what makes Reels across Meta’s platforms unique in this domain. Furthermore, the report delves into the distinctive attributes that make Reels across Meta's platforms especially impactful in this dynamic domain.
Helping Reels stand out from the global competition
We also identified the kinds of content people enjoy seeing in SFVs across markets, including which content types are associated with each SFV platform. This categorization helped Meta discover areas where Reels can be improved or leveraged to increase engagement among different consumer groups in each market. Additionally, it provided Meta with evidence to show businesses how they can create memorable and enjoyable content for their customers with targeted advertising on Reels.
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