Dive Brief:

• Disney+ and Wendy's are among the brands trying out a new full-screen vertical ad format for Fleets, the disappearing stories-like feature Twitter introduced last year, according to a blog post by the social media platform. It is Twitter's first full-screen vertical ad product.
• Fleets ads, currently visible to a limited number of iOS and Android users in the U.S., can carry up to 30 seconds of content and a "swipe-up" call to action. Advertisers deploying the offering will be able to monitor the usual Twitter Ads metrics, including impressions, profile visits and clicks, while Fleets ads that contain video creative will have statistics available on views, starts, completions, quartile reporting and more.
• Twitter plans to add other perks to Fleets in the near future, such as stickers and backgrounds. If resonant with users, the Fleets ads experiment could pave the way for additional iterations of the full-screen concept on Twitter.

​ Dive Insight:

Twitter is breaking into new advertising territory with the full-screen vertical Fleets ads, which closely mirror stories formats available on rival platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. Full-screen ads give brands the chance to hold the attention of mobile users as they browse, while potentially driving an action like a website visit via the swipe-up functionality. Disney+ deployed the format for an Earth Day campaign about exploring the planet's beauty that let users capture snapshots of animals by tapping on the screen.

Twitter is pushing ad partners to get creative in their applications of Fleets, offering ideas like account takeovers by creators, behind-the-scenes content or sharing "hot takes." The Fleets ads test could lay the groundwork for Twitter pushing harder into full-screen mobile video, a channel that's seen a surge in brand interest as consumers spend more time on video-oriented apps like TikTok and with stories on other social media platforms.

Seventy-five percent of consumers say they like the full-screen format, according to research cited by Twitter, and 73% of Fleets users report being interested in checking out what other people are sharing. Fleets have received a mixed response since going live last November.

"As we experiment on this new surface for ads, we'll take a close look at how vertical, full-screen ads perform on Twitter," the blog post said. "We want to understand how this content performs for customers not just for Fleet ads, but for future iterations of full-screen formats on Twitter."

Fleets, in general, show Twitter thinking beyond the text-based microblogging it's built a reputation on since its 2006 launch. The platform has previously dabbled in areas like livestreaming video, including through an app called Periscope that shuttered in March. Monetizing those services has proved a challenge even as consumer interest in mobile video continues to climb. Meanwhile, Twitter is looking into other ways to drive revenue as its user growth remains sluggish. The company has proved something of a laggard among social media platforms experiencing a boom in revenue and audience engagement amid the pandemic.

Among its slate of product innovations, Twitter plans to introduce a premium subscription plan that will grant paying users with special perks. Separately, creators will be able to charge followers who want to access exclusive content through a new program called Super Follow.