Guest post by Remington Fioraso
Advertisements are seen everywhere within the context of our daily lives. Whether it be on clothing, buses, billboards, television, print media, radio, or online media, it seems that we are unable to escape being marketed to. When looking into the realm of social media, advertising is very prominent. When previewing feeds on Twitter and Facebook, the user is bombarded with constant advertising. The social media platform Instagram is no different. The social media application focuses on visual content in the form of photos and videos leading to it being a potential marketing tool for organizations. What led to the emergence of Instagram as a means of promotion for organizations? Is it worth it for organizations to implement Instagram in their marketing strategies? Continue reading “InstaAds: The Growing Form of Sponsored Advertisements” to find out answers to both of these!
Instagram was launched in October 2010. In December of the same year, the platform reached a million users. Instagram has seen growth in usage every year. In February 2016, it reached a total of 400 million users. In 2016, it is estimated that the platform will see 15.1% growth (eMarketer, 2016). The popularity of the social network can also be illustrated through its content. There has been a total of 40 billion photos posted on the social network since its inception. This equates to 80 million photos that are being posted on a daily basis (Instagram, 2016).
Organizations are taking note of the growth seen by the social networking application. On November 1, 2013, Instagram implemented their program called Instagram Ads (Sorokina, 2014). It allows organizations to pay for prominent advertising known as sponsored content (Sternberg, 2013). Through Instagram Ads, the company will see 9.5% of Facebook’s total profits relating to mobile ads (eMarketer, 2016). This leads to the conclusion that it can be beneficial to incorporate in organization’s marketing strategies as they can target their respective audiences through another social media platform instead of solely on Twitter and Facebook. Who are these organizations? Was using Instagram an effective means of advertising for them?
When looking at my own Instagram feed, an InstaAd for Polar Ice Vodka appeared. As seen to the left, the ad features the product prominently. The intention of using the Instagram Ad program was to increase the reach and engagement of the brand. Was it actually effective? When previewing the post, it was notable that there were only 9 likes and 1 comment. This demonstrates an example of an ineffective advertisement. Without the post being marked as sponsored and the inclusion of “Please enjoy our products responsibly,” it could have been posted on any Instagram account. As it could have been a post that could be on any individual’s feed, it is not visually eye catching. Furthermore, the post did not incorporate a means to engage with the content. It solely relies on the hashtags #PolarIceVodka, #winter, #ReadingWeek, #SpringBreak, and #staycation without providing a question to encourage users to interact further with the content.
Canadian Tire is also a company that has utilized Instagram Ads in their marketing strategies. The most prominent usage of Instagram Ads was for their #ShovelItForward campaign (Quan, 2015). The campaign’s purpose was to increase acts of kindness by Canadians through individuals documenting their experiences of shovelling driveways using the hashtag #ShoveItForward (Canadian Tire, 2015). When deeming if the post was effective or not, looking at the number of individuals who engaged with the post is important. This particular post received 281 likes and 96 comments. It was not simply promoting a brand, it was promoting a lifestyle action. It engaged users by encouraging them to do something within the community that is a relatively easy task. Furthermore, the post evoked emotions in consumers by showcasing the ‘everyday Canadian.’ The #ShovelItForward campaign advertisements can be determined to be both effective in increasing engagement and reach. As indicated by Canadian Tire, the ad campaign implemented through Instagram Ads assisted in increasing ad recall, awareness, and brand favourability (Instagram, 2015).
By looking at the advertisement by Polar Ice Vodka, Instagram Ads are not guaranteed to be successful. Yet the advertisement by Canadian Tire was deemed to be effective. It is very much dependent on the individual organization if it is worth it to implement Instagram in their marketing strategies. What may work for one company may not necessarily work for another. For tips on how to effectively incorporate ‘InstaAds’ to your brand, Social Media Examiner provides many tips on advertising on the social networking platform here.
References
Canadian Tire: Shovel It Forward. (c. 2015). Retrieved from http://shovelitforward.ca/
Instagram. (c. 2016). Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/press/?hl=en
Instagram Continues Double-Digit Growth – eMarker. (n.d) Retrieved from http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Instagram-Continues-Double-Digit-Growth/1013612
Instagram for Business. (c. 2015). Retrieved from https://business.instagram.com/
Polar Vodka Ice (2016, February 15). #PolarIcevodka + #winter volleyball? Ace! #ReadingWeek #SpringBreak #staycation [Instagram update]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/BB0M2P4HdMj/?taken-by=polaricevodka
Quan, K. (2015, February 13). Must-See Marketing: Canadian Tire wants you to “Shovel it Forward.” Canadian Business. Retrieved from http://www.canadianbusiness.com/innovation/must-see-marketing-20150213-canadian-tire-shovel-it-forward/
Sorokina, O. (2014, November 8). Instagram Ads: Everything You Need To Know. Hootsuite. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/everything-you-need-to-know-instagram-ads/
Sternberg, J. (2013, April 18). Time to Define Native Advertising. Digiday. Retrieved from http://digiday.com/publishers/time-to-define-native-advertising/
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Biography
Remington Fioraso is completing the final year of her Bachelor of Arts program in Sociology, Anthropology, and Media and Communication Studies. After graduation, her objective is to venture into the world of social media marketing and research. Connect with her via Twitter @RemingtonFD and her website https://remingtonfioraso.wordpress.com/