Facebook has launched Reels Ads in 25 African countries that had the Reels feature on Instagram. Other than enabling businesses on Instagram to reach greater audiences, Reel Ads will also allow people to discover inspiring new content from brands and creators.
Prior to the launch in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Reels Ads was successfully tested in select countries globally. In Africa, Reels Ads will be available in 25 countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tunisia, Swaziland, South Africa, Seychelles, Senegal, etc.
Speaking about the launch, Jocelyne Muhutu, Facebook’s Strategic Media Partnerships Manager SSA said, “Reels is the best feature on Instagram to reach people who do not follow you and a growing global stage where brands and creators can be discovered by anyone. We see Reels as a great way for people to discover new content on Instagram, and so ads in Reels are a natural fit. Brands of all sizes can take advantage of this new creative format in an environment where people are already being entertained.”
Reels ads will be full screen and vertical, similar to Ads in Stories and will appear in between individual Reels. As is with regular Reels content, Reels Ads will loop and can be up to 30 seconds. People can also comment, like, view, save and share Reels Ads.
Reels Ads will appear in the most popular places to access Reels content including the Reels tab, Reels in Stories, Reels in Explore and Reels in your feed. Once a user taps into a reel from Stories, Feed, the Reels Tab or Explore, they will enter a viewer that exclusively shows reels that scroll vertically.
Just like any other ad on the app, Instagram will also provide people with control on the Reels Ads they see. If people see an ad they do not like, they can skip the ad, or tap the menu on the post to hide or report it.