Adweek: Facebook Takes a Page from Instagram as it Builds its Video Platform

Last week, Wendy's and agency VML launched a campaign spoofing the explosion of food videos that have popped up in Facebook newsfeeds in the past year. Like the popular videos created by the likes of BuzzFeed's Tasty, Tastemade and others, the video was shot and uploaded in the shape of a square that fills the full space of a newsfeed when viewed on a mobile device, where the bulk of Facebook content is viewed.

At first glance, the video seems like the type of garden-variety campaign Facebook has been pushing brands to design for a couple years as it builds up its ad business on sibling app Instagram. The idea is that square video works on Facebook and, more importantly, plays double duty by working on Instagram, which is built around square photos and videos.

Wendy's campaign is different though—the clip will only run on Facebook and won't touch Instagram, indicating that Facebook is taking a page from Instagram as it builds its video platform. For VML's Wendy's team, it also marks the first time the agency has designed a square-shaped video solely for Facebook.

"We shot it in two different formats: Your average 16:9 so that you can use it on YouTube, and we also shot in a square or box format because that's in line with Facebook's best practices," said Daniel Lobaton, VML's creative director.

Click here to read the original article.