What do you think of when you think of Instagram? Selfies? Filters? Food? Fashion?
As the most influential photo platform on the web, Instagram has always captured the imagination of people around the globe. It allows everyone – professional photographer or not – to craft beautiful images which capture the spirit of their hobbies, friends and travels. Users on Instagram create their own image and grow their own personal brand.
What is dramatically evolving is the way that brands themselves are using Instagram pages. When brands first burst on to the Instagram scene, it was about creating a presence. Being part of the zeitgeist and appearing where there audience were spending their time. However, as more and more brands now have Instagram pages, it’s not enough to merely set up a page and be done. Instagram will generate almost $600 million in ad sales this year, according to eMarketer’s first report on the photo-sharing mobile app. The research firm also predicted Instagram will earn $2.81 billion in ad sales by 2017, outselling Google and Twitter when it comes to U.S. display ads.
What is happening now is we are seeing an emergence of more creative ideas on Instagram as brands battle with each other to stand out. Whether is it using the grid structure to tell a story, creating magazines or even quizzes, there have been some really interesting uses of the platform which stretch beyond the initial scope for which Instagram was intended.
For those of us in media, I think it is always interesting to think beyond the face value of a channel and – excuse the cliché – think outside of the box (literally in the case of Instagram)
To give you some inspiration of what can be done, here are some great examples:
Hyundai: The SUV Quiz – http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/hyundai-just-hacked-instagram-quiz-leads-you-right-suv-166682
Reynolds – Endless Table – https://instagram.com/reynoldskitchens/
Old Spice – Create Your Own Adventure Game- https://instagram.com/p/5xNE_MNNXH/
