Twitter adds video to promoted trends advertising suite

Twitter is adding the power of video to its takeover ad arsenal, with the introduction of the Promoted Trend Spotlight.

The spotlight allows marketers to add video (six-second videos and GIFs, as well as static images) to their 24-hour promoted trend on Twitter’s Trends list. 

The Trends list is where marketers can insert themselves directly into organic discussion already happening on Twitter since Promoted Trends can be interacted similarly as any other trending topic, with the only difference being a label attached as promoted content. 

The addition of video generated longer dwell times (26% higher than normal promoted trend units,) 113% higher ad recall, and 18% higher brand consideration according to research from global behavioral research company EyeSee.  

"When we wanted to launch our first brand campaign in years, we turned to Twitter’s Promoted Trends and Promoted Trend Spotlight," said Ambreena Budaly, director, social media channel strategy, LEGO Agency.

"With Spotlight, we were able to pair our creative video asset with a high-impact placement that helped us drive awareness," she added. 

Promoted Trend Spotlight is now generally available in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, and will be available 12 additional markets: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, and Thailand.