FACEBOOK Inc. announced recently more than 100 years of time have been spent viewing its advertising platform called “Canvas” since the company launched it in February.
In a statement, the company said more than 180 countries have “experienced Canvas,” which loads 10 times faster than mobile Web. Facebook said the average dwell time on a Canvas ad is 31 seconds.
Facebook cited as example the use of Canvas by Itau Unibanco Holding SA, the biggest financial conglomerate in Latin America.
Itau, according to Facebook, encouraged the reading of books, as time spent by Brazilians on reading books grew less at 312 minutes a week. The Philippines ranked fourth at 450 minutes a week, according to the NOP World Culture Index of 2005.
On the other hand, Brazilians were spending more time on Facebook at 406 minutes a week, just two notches below the Philippines (306 minutes), which is No. 2, and a notch above the US, which is at No.5 in a Facebook Insights ranking.
“And if parents are staying more and more time online, we shall put the books there so they can read on their timelines,” Itau said in a video, presenting its “Kidsbook Collection,” described as “a new kind of pocket books displayed on the perfect shelf: parents’ timeline.”
The company said it made this possible by hacking Canvas, the interactive format on Facebook. “And instead of creating ads, Itau created a new way of reading to children.” The fist book that Itau shared is titled O Menino e o Foguete (The Boy and the Rocket) by Brazilian writer Marcelo Rubens Paiva.
“One of the most exciting things to see is how Canvas has captured people’s fundamental desire to create and share in visual ways,” Zack Hendlin, product manager at Facebook, was quoted in a statement as saying. “We’ve had dog walkers, journalists, bands and small businesses embrace Canvas as enthusiastically as some of the most respected brands in the world.”
Facebook said it will put a new feed unit to Canvas to entice users to engage in the platform. The company added it will also make Canvas available for all pages to use in a post, even when it’s not promoted as an advertisement.