Video ads begin to appear on Instagram from major brands like Disney and Activision
Almost a year after advertisements began to appear on Instagram, the monetization of the photo sharing social network is continuing. According to AdWeek, video ads have officially arrived on the Facebook-owned property after six months of testing.
A number of big companies, including Disney, Activision, Lancome, Banana Republic, and CW, have signed on.
Disney, for example, is using the 15-second autoplay spots to promote its upcoming movie “Big Hero 6.” The complete ad, which is actually pretty cute, can be found here at this link.
According to AdWeek, Instagram is being selective with the advertisements:
Instagram has been unusually hands-on with brands in regards to its static image ads, which launched last year. And the same is true with video. The company reviews all clips to ensure that they contain mostly fresh content, fit the vibe of the platform and are not simply repurposed TV/Web commercials.
Video ads will rollout completely throughout the network in the coming weeks. A quick look at my Instagram feed this afternoon didn’t show any videos, thank goodness. While I’m not exactly thrilled about the auto-play ads, it shouldn’t come as much of a shock. Facebook obviously wants a return on their $1 billion investment.
The Instagram app, designed for the iPhone/iPod touch, can be downloaded now from the App Store for free. Maybe with all of this advertising money, we’ll finally see an official iPad version of the app. But don’t hold your breath.
An update earlier this month to the app brought optimizations for the higher-resolution iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
For other news today, see: Apple will once again allow calculator widgets in the iOS 8 Notification Center, Mindsense announces a Mail Pilot 2 beta testing program, and Gazelle launches a Certified Pre-Owned service for iPhone and iPad.
