Overview & Purpose

Recently, we released a case study detailing the performance of floor plan images versus amenity images in the body of canvas ads (think the four images at the bottom of the ad). In case you missed it, here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to know about canvas ads:

Canvas ads are a mobile full-screen experience that allow users to scroll through videos, images, and multimedia elements while never leaving the Facebook app. Think of it as a mini website chalked full of information and beautiful design. The purpose of a Canvas ad is to tell a story about your brand while educating users of your offerings. For the apartment industry, Canvas ads check all the boxes by allowing advertisers to highlight images, floorplans, amenities and offerings all in one space.

Ultimately, floor plan images beat out amenity images with a clear increase in CTR, average view time, and average relevance score. With that conclusion, we set forward in testing the hero image of canvas ads in order to try and perfect the ultimate ad equation. Typically, hero images are enticing photos that showcase the interior of an apartment. But what do apartment seekers really want to see; the comfort of a living room or the practicality of a kitchen? Fret not, we have the answers!

• Over a 7-week period, we measured the performance of kitchen images versus living room images in the head of canvas ads. The purpose of the test is to best understand Facebook audience behavior & interests.

Findings

Tested for 7 weeks across 5 different properties.

Key Findings

Kitchen images increase average CTR by 9.8%

Kitchen images increase average view time by 4.7%%

Kitchen images increase average site visit rate by 25%

Kitchen images decreases average CPM by -5.6% 

Facebook users have a stronger interest in kitchen images versus living room images.

Conclusion

Kitchen hero image + floor plan body images = the ultimate canvas ad equation. Our hunch is that apartment seekers are on the hunt for practicality. Floor plan images offer exact details of apartment layouts, encouraging users to interact with canvas ads for longer periods of time and truly begin the research phase of their apartment search. Kitchen images, well they almost speak for themselves. Living rooms are mostly up to residents in how they’re used and how they’re decorated, but kitchens and appliances are where apartments can be set apart.  

Want to know more about our process or recommend a future study? We would love to hear!