Snapchat enables three-minute ads and 'goal-based' bidding

Snapchat is hoping to woo movie and TV advertisers after extending the maximum length of ads to three minutes.

As part of a range of changes to video formats and ad buying today, the social media platform has increased the upper length of all ads to 180 seconds, meaning an entertainment studio could now run a full film trailer. 

Before that, studios had to create a partial trailer and prompt the user to swipe up to view the full version, similar to a YouTube pre-roll.

Snapchat, which is popular with teenagers and young adults, is also giving advertisers the ability to add swipe actions to their commercial campaigns, just like users can do with non-commercial content. 

In the new format, any commercial campaign can now enable users to swipe to a web view, long-form video or camera attachment. 

Snap, the parent of Snapchat, is also implementing "goal-based bidding", which allows advertisers to optimise for 15-second video views. Media agencies, for example, can buy against a specific level of ad engagement.

David Shaw, head of international product marketing at Snap, said: "With our upgraded suite of video solutions, we’re offering our advertiser and agency partners the opportunity to own the entire screen with a dedicated creative canvas.

"We offer unique contextual alignment with top media brands, allowing our partners to drive awareness at scale in premium programming."