Many people are against adverts; on the highstreet, through their letterboxes and on the web. We believe this is simply a result of shoddy advertising. Great adverts are creative, captivating, exciting and thoughtful.
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Recently, Instagram announced that adverts would start appearing in the feeds of British users “later this year”, and we really think this is a good thing. Adverts can take many forms – billboards, banner ads, text ads, sponsored content, stickers on lampposts or even a simple promoted tweet. The one thing that sets apart online advertising from its traditional counterpart is that we’re surrounded by it, day in day out. Wherever you go on the web, there is some form of advertising – some of it more obvious than others.
Where Instagram changes this market, is that a certain level of quality is required to make these adverts hold their own against the millions of pictures uploaded every day, all fighting for a users attention. As you scroll down your feed, you’re greeted by encapsulating picture from people you have chosen to follow. For an advert to compete with this and stop you, mid scroll, is no easy feat. A picture of text saying “Buy our product” wouldn’t do it and a grainy instagram of a product wouldn’t do it either. They would have to be high quality, engaging and shareable.
This is exactly what all advertising should be like. The limitations of Instagram, and the fast paced, instant, nature of it demand it. We think successful instagram advertising will set the bar for future ad content on the web.
What makes Instagram advertising different?
Say your piece in a small picture
Unlike giant billboards or A web page sized advert, an instagram picture is just a small piece of screen real estate that need to grab the eye of the scroller. In the same way that you’ll skip past a lot of content every day on instagram for being a little generic, the same will happen to ads that don’t bring something new to the table. Something quirky, beautiful or fresh.
Questionable click-through
Like a lot of internet ads, the power of the hyperlink is one that should never be overlooked. It can take your customers from the site they’re browsing to your site in the click of a button, instantly.
With Instagram, however, linking in photo descriptions isn’t possible. This means brands will need to devise new strategies for making their ads memorable, so encourage customers to return through other channels. The CTA button doesn’t really have a place on Instagram. A need to impress? Definitely.
Getting your point across
A picture speaks a thousand words, but only if taken correctly. Whether brands are advertising a brand plug, a new product, service or event, getting Instagram their advertising right requires the little square picture space to efficiency show who they are, what they do, and what they want customers to do.
15 second window
Shortly after Vine was born, people started coining “If you can’t say it in 6 seconds, it’s not worth saying”. Surely, if that’s true, then Instagram’s 15 seconds should be ample time for brands to creative clever, informative and intriguing ads.
We’re excited about Instagram ads, both from the point of view of advertising and design inspiration, and from a consumer point of view, as a new way of hearing about exciting products, services, events and more. Are you? Let us know in the comments!