It's an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World
As you might have heard already, Instagram announced a couple weeks ago that it would be joining the rest of the social media crew on the sponsored content bandwagon. In other words, ads.
Now ads are not inherently bad. It's just that most online ads are, at best, a nuisance and, all too often, downright irritating. But in this case, I find myself saying I sort of like these Instagram ads. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
- Creative and Inspiring. Like it or not, these pictures are pretty. Unlike most ads (especially online), they don’t hurt my eyes. Quite the contrary. I really do enjoy looking at these. I like the colors, contrast, angles, lines and textures. The left image above is a sample ad the Instagram team created. They must keep an eye on the design industry because all of the elements in that ad are very trendy right now. I also appreciate the fact they haven’t plastered the brand name across the majority of the space. You can hardly notice the "Michael Kors" in the face of the watch or the mini Instagram logo on the sketchbook sitting on the table.
- Engaging. Users can let the brands know what they think about their ads. Instagram has allowed users the ability to Like and Comment on the ads just like you would be allowed to Like and Comment on other posts. This gives users a way to let brands know what they approve and don’t approve, making it more likely that brands will start to create sponsored content users actually want to see. When you produce content your audience likes and chooses to look at on their own, you won’t have to spend time figuring out how to catch attention or force people into looking at your ad. Plus, if there’s an ad you don’t like, you can always tap the "…" below it to hide it.
- Real. Even though it’s possible for these ads to be created on a magic set designed specifically for Instagram purposes, for the most part these images look authentically like they were taken by your talented artsy friend, not a deceitful pro who’s trying to pull one over on you.
To close, a quote from the film It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World that I found to be appropriate.
"Now look! We've figured it seventeen different ways, and every time we figured it, it was no good, because no matter how we figured it, somebody don't like the way we figured it! So now, there's only one way to figure it. And that is, every man, including the old bag, for himself! So good luck and may the best man win!"
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