Clorox Tests Facebook's Video-Ads-for-Credits Platform

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Clorox is among the first brands to offer Facebook Credits in exchange for video ad views as part of a new program on the social networking site. Through the initiative, announced on May 6, Facebook users can now earn Credits for virtual gaming and Facebook Deals purchases by watching a video spot.

Clorox's ad can be seen by Facebook gamers who play "Happy Aquarium" or "Happy Pets," according to TrialPay, a Mountain View, CA-based ad network that enables the credits-for-video-views feature via its DealSpot system. The :60 spot (see screen grab below) pitches the Oakland, CA-based CPG brand's "Green Works" natural cleaning products.

The video ads are being distributed via Facebook-partnered developers SocialVibe, Sharethrough, EpicSocial, and SupersonicAds. Molly Heintz, spokesperson for Los Angeles-based SocialVibe, told ClickZ about how the ad buys will be orchestrated with marketers.

"It's part of their cost-per-engagement buy that we negotiate with an ad agency or directly with the brand," she said. "The cost of the Facebook Credits is rolled into that negotiated price."

Typically, Facebook Credits are worth 10 cents. A campaign's end cost will likely depend on each developer's suite of offerings, Heintz explained. SocialVibe, she said, has ongoing relationships with agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi, Mindshare, Digitas, Starcom MediaVest, and Deep Focus. While it hasn't enabled the video-views-for-credits system yet, Heintz said that moment is coming soon.

"It's important to note that we also offer polls, games, and share features," she said. "So, we won't charge on video views alone. We charge on completed engagements. A brand will come to us and say, 'We want X number of engagements.'"

When asked about the potential for user abuse and driving up a campaign's cost, Heintz said, "Our technology only allows one engagement per user per campaign. If you try to watch it twice, it will say, 'You've already completed this activity.'"

Kindra Wilson, spokesperson for TrialPay, also mentioned that mechanisms were in place to stop clickbot-styled sabotage by brands' competitors. The icon offering the chance to watch the video and earn the credit will appear until the user has completed a view, she said.