Facebook renames Canvas ads ‘Instant Experience’ ads, gives them pixel capabilities

The full-screen mobile ad can now be used in retargeting campaigns.

Facebook is renaming its Canvas ads, now calling the mobile ad unit “Instant Experience” ads and is building out pixel capabilities around the newly named ad product.

“We are also introducing new ways for businesses to understand their customer’s progression from seeing an Instant Experience to completing a purchase, and opening new opportunities for businesses to re-engage with those customers,” writes Facebook on its business blog.

The Instant Experience Ads will now automatically be attached to Facebook Pixel, making it possible for advertisers who use the Pixel on their website to re-engage with site visitors that interacted with the ads on Facebook.

Facebook is also allowing advertisers to embed third-party pixels in their Instant Experience ads to track campaign performance and compare against other campaigns using their choice of analytic tools.

The Instant Experience ads include a new Instant Form template that makes it easy for anyone engaging with the ad to submit their contact information. This template is in addition to the four templates already available: Instant Storefront, Instant Lookbook, Instant Customer Acquisition and Instant Storytelling.

According to Facebook, the number of Instant Experience ads has more than doubled over the past year, and now load 15 times faster when compared to standard websites

Facebook first launched the full-screen, rich media format in 2016. Last year, Facebook made the ads easier to create and added new templates. The new pixel capability will help advertisers measure how their Instant Experience ads stack up against other mobile ads both on and off of Facebook.