Instagram is now opening its doors to becoming an even bigger ad platform to its users. Throughout the month of January, Instagram will be slowly incorporating ads into its daily story feature. The ads are set to play between the different user stories. They will not interrupt the playing of a story being played but instead will play directly after the story has finished and before the next story begins.
Whose Ads and Why?
After mimicking Snapchats story feature this past summer, incorporating ads into that mode just shows that Instagram is racing to catch up. With Instagram having over 150 million daily users, it only makes sense that they would open their doors to companies that want to build their brands through the app.
As of right now, there are at least 30 brands that have signed up for ads with Instagram. General Motors, Netflix, Nike, Airbnb, and Capital One are only a select few that users can expect to see ads from. James Quarles, the vice president of Instagram Business said, “Ads will become part of the experience,” He believes that users will soon be saying: “I discovered this business because of this story.”
Doing It Right Without Overkill
Adding ads might enhance brand awareness and image through the positive outlook that users have with Instagram. Seeing brands on an app that they use regularly and have already fallen in love with could reflect a positive recognition for those brands. However, if the ads eventually become overbearing, it could be the turning point for the world of Instagram. If the tab “subscribe to eliminate Instagram ads” ever became a thing, users may become completely turned off by the app altogether.
The On-going Trends of Media and Ads
It would appear as if we are watching history repeat itself as we’re starting to see ads being incorporated into the hottest and latest trends of media. Looking back almost 20 years, television was the king of media. Watching television was the only way to get the most current and up to date news. Jumping to present day, television has become one of the slower ways to get updated and has instead been replaced by a combination of smartphones and social media. Outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram put any and all information right at our fingertips.
One of the major turnoffs coming from television over the last few years is the increase in commercials and subsequent decrease in content. People are now starting to turn to their tablets, laptops, and smartphones, as well as streaming services where they can watch whatever and whenever they want without the hassle and annoyance of commercials.
Like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat, Instagram originally started without any ads but now has started the push into a world of ads for their users, just like the rest of them. James Quarles has said that ads have “become part of the experience.” The question now is will an app ever be enough? Or will all media platforms become a shared unit for advertisements?
