Blog

›

LINE & Social Media

Cut costs and increase impressions with small image LINE ads

Among the many different ad formats available on LINE Ads, small image ads are highly effective. We explain what they are, best practices, and success stories.

Table of Contents

One platform, two audiencesHow the reach actually breaks downSearch vs. Display in LY AdsWhat changes for overseas advertisersGetting started

Share

Share on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on X
When running ads on LINE, the creative plays an important role. This article highlights the features of ‘small image’ ads, a type of ad format available on LINE Ads.

What are small image ads?

There are a number of places where LINE Ads show up within the LINE app and its family of services. Small image ads are one of the many different types of ads that are displayed.

Table of LINE Ads formats (still image: card, square, carousel, small image; video: card, square, vertical) by placement such as Talk List, LINE NEWS and LINE VOOM, as of March 2022
How ‘small image’ LINE Ads cut costs and increase impressions

※When setting up LINE Ads, it is not possible to choose a specific ad placement.

Small image ads are displayed in the "Talk List" and "LINE NEWS" sections of LINE.

Diagram: small image ads appear in LINE's Talk List and LINE NEWS; titles limited to 17 characters in Talk List and 20 in LINE NEWS
How ‘small image’ LINE Ads cut costs and increase impressions

Three reasons why we recommend small image ads

LINE Ads allow for both still image and video ads. However, given the more moderate learning curve, those new to programmatic advertising may prefer to run still image ads first.

According to an independent survey conducted by LINE, more than 50% of still image ads are placed on users’ talk lists, followed by LINE NEWs with 40.9%.

Pie chart of still image ad impressions by placement, Sept 2021: Talk List 53.5%, LINE NEWS 40.9%, LINE VOOM 3.3%, LINE MANGA 1.1%, LINE Point 0.2%

In terms of the type of ad placed on chat lists, small image ads have the highest percentage, more than still image card and still image square ads.

Two pie charts: small image ads are 50.6% of still image impressions in Talk List (square 32.0%, card 17.4%); small image ads run 75.1% in Talk List, 24.9% in LINE News

Since many users regularly look at their chat list and LINE NEWS pages, these two areas have a high activity rate. By utilising small image ads, advertisers can efficiently distribute their ads to these two popular areas to promote their products and services.

Ads displayed on the chat list also tend to have a lower CPM than other ads due to the large number of impression opportunities, which can improve an ad’s effectiveness.

Bar chart of still image CPM by LINE placement: LINE Shopping highest, falling to LINE NEWS and Talk List, which has the lowest CPM

To summarise the features of small image ads:

  • Still image ads are more often placed on chat lists and LINE NEWS.
  • Of the above, small image ads are more likely to be placed on chat lists.
  • The CPM for ads placed on chat lists is low, making it easy to improve ad performance.

What to know when creating small image ads

Since LINE Ads are delivered to smartphone users, ads are displayed on a relatively small screen. Small image ads are even smaller than other creative formats, so it is important to pay attention to their viewability.

In order to create a small image ad that users can understand at a glance, the ad’s headline and image are important.

Creating headlines with different points of appeal

Small image ads delivered to chat lists display two headlines, "long headline 1" and "long headline 2”.

Phone mockup of the LINE Talk List showing Long Title 1 and Long Title 2 displayed on separate lines next to the ad image

By choosing different points of appeal for headlines 1 and 2, the ad will likely have a bigger impact on the user.

Small image title examples: notices and information, usability and thoughts, and surveys, each with sample Japanese titles and a wording tip
Small image title examples: clarify the target audience, use short words, and use conversational expressions, with sample Japanese ad titles

Also, linking the creative with long headlines 1 and 2 increases the ad’s effectiveness.

Five example small image ads pairing a two-line headline with a thumbnail, for cosmetics, hair growth, eyelash serum and teeth whitening

Easy to understand creatives

As mentioned earlier, small image ads are smaller than other ad formats, so it’s important to be aware of the ad’s viewability. We recommend using creatives that clearly communicate the product or service even on a smartphone.

Examples of highly visible small image designs by industry: card-style finance, discount sticker, text, download mark, turn the page, brand logo, specify target

In addition, in order to increase the ad’s effectiveness, we recommend experimenting with multiple creatives to determine which ad performs best. When making the different creatives, we recommend extracting them from existing banner ads.

Since small image ads are relatively small, it is important to narrow down the elements you want to convey. By identifying, selecting, and extracting the elements of an existing banner ad, you can quickly create different small image ads.

Steps to build small image ads quickly: break an existing banner into visual elements and title phrases, then place them in the Talk List ad

If you would like to know more about creating small image ads, you can download the relevant documents from LINE Ad Manager.

Creative Lab simplifies creative production

You can use the ‘LINE Creative Lab’ tool available on LINE Ad Manager to easily create ads.

To access the tool, click on the ≡ (hamburger button) in the upper lefthand corner of LINE Ad Manager, then click on Shared Library, then Creative Lab.

You can use one of the professionally created templates if you do not want to create a small image ad from scratch.

Case studies of increased ad performance using small image ads

Half the CPA and 7 times the delivery volume

This case study is for a human resources business. Compared to square still image ads, the impressions earned from small image ads increased significantly. The company was able to increase the delivery volume by about 7 times while cutting the CPA (cost per customer acquisition) in half, demonstrating how small image ads are highly visible and clickable.

HR case study: small image ads got 18.1M impressions versus 5.1M for square still image, with CPA about half (52%) and delivery cost 7.1 times higher

Maximising delivery volume at the lowest CPA

This case study is for a cosmetics company. Compared to square still image ads, the company was able to increase the ad delivery volume by approximately 6 times while achieving a lower CPA.

More than 86% of their CVs (conversions) were via small image ads, indicating that this ad format can also contribute to sales.

Cosmetics case study: small image ads took 85% of cost and 86% of conversions, with about 6 times the delivery cost and a CPA 96% of square ads

* The above is a document compiled by LINE based on actual cases. The advertisements listed do not necessarily guarantee results.

We at DMFA can help you start running LINE Ads, including small image ads. Do not hesitate to contact our team of bilingual Japanese digital marketing experts for additional information, support, or management of LINE Ads or to open a LINE Official Account.

Thinking about your first campaign in Japan?

As an official LY Ads representative, DMFA helps you open an account, plan campaigns and launch, at no cost.

Book a Free Consultation

Connect With Us

Let's elevate your marketing success together

Book a Free Consultation