A few months ago, YouTube rolled out 360-degree videos. It was a pretty cool idea and to date we’ve seen quite a few good examples. They make for great interactive videos especially for users who might have virtual reality headsets. However we suppose it was only inevitable that this would happen, but it looks like YouTube has now rolled out 360-degree video ads.
Given that YouTube already plays ads ahead of videos, we suppose it makes sense that YouTube would eventually support 360-degree ads as well to lineup with the 360-degree videos. While most of the time we tend to skip ads, given that these ads are now sort of interactive, perhaps they might be worth exploring.
According to Google, “Video is already the most effective medium for connecting with consumers thanks to the power of sight, sound and motion. But what if there were a way to let people become even more immersed in your video ads? To help advertisers deliver richer experiences, we’re introducing 360 degree video ads on YouTube.”
So far several companies have begun rolling out 360-degree video ads. This includes Coca-Cola, Nike, and recently Bud Light. These are best viewed with a virtual reality headset like Google Cardboard, or if you have a phone you can use it to pan the videos around as well.