Well, if you haven’t already heard, today Instagram announced that they will begin to release ads on their photo sharing mobile application. In a company blog Instagram revealed that their plan is to start off slow, introducing a small number of content to users using only a handful of brands. Honestly this idea of ads on Instagram didn’t come as much of a surprise. When Facebook acquired the start-up company back in 2012 everyone instantly questioned how the social network giant would monetize its purchase. We all have been sitting at the edge of our seats waiting to see what they would do.
This very commercial decision almost goes back to how users felt about the whole $1 billion purchase. Many felt that it would turn into an other money maker for Facebook and was a symbol of “selling out”. I would have to agree. This new feature really invades what I believe the app is all about. I’ve always loved the freedom to choose who’s photos and videos I would see, including brands. I’m an avid follower of brands like Urban Outfitters, Starbucks, Sharpie, mtv, Forever 21, and Dunkin’ Donuts. I love my ability to choose to follow them. The value of my engagement with that brand I believe is much higher.
I must admit their blog post explaining their rationale for this decision is friendly and conversational. I do like that they will be offering the ability to see or hide ads you do or don’t like. Even though the brand is owned by the largest social network in the world, they still sound very personal when they write to users and appear to offer a service that puts the user first.
As I mentioned in my previous blog post. Change is hard but it is happening. I’m very much looking forward to this change, especially as it transforms how brands will advertise on this extremely popular application.
Some articles about the decision:
http://blog.instagram.com/post/63017560810/instagramasagrowingbusiness
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/coming-soon-ads-instagram-152880
http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/03/instagram-starts-showing-in-feed-video-and-image-ads-to-us-users/
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/advertisements-coming-instagram-coming-months/story?id=20463197
Marissa Osowsky 