new media presentation on Instagram for CSUF's COMM352 Advertising Media Planning Course. verna abante spring 2012

1. Instagram
Verna Abante
Professor Jay Moon
COMM 352 Individual Assignment #2
April 16, 2012

2. Instagram
New Media Contents
• Introduction: What is Instagram?
• Features: Main Functions + Innovative Features
• Current Ad Cases: A New Vehicle for Advertising
• Facebook + Instagram
• My Instagram Idea

3. Instagram
What is it?
• Instagram is a newly developed digital social media platform in which users are able to share
and edit photos with one another. fun, fast, and ...instant!
• Instagram can be downloaded for free through Apple’s iTunes App Store and is available for
use through an iPhone, iPod, or iPad. As of April 3, 2012, Instagram opened its doors to
Android users through Google Play, welcoming a revolutionary breakthrough of mobile photo
sharing.
• Brief History: Instagram was founded in 2010 by Stanford graduates, Kevin Systorm and
Mike Krieger. Initially, Systorm and Krieger created an HTML5 check-in project called Burbn
which was then re-developed to cater only photo-sharing uploads. On October 6, 2010,
Instagram was born into Apple’s App Store, generating 10,000 registered users within the first
few hours of its new app life.
• Today, with 30 million users and over 200 million uploads, Instagram continues to be the
leader in mobile space, quickly climbing up the social media ladder at “insta”nt speeds!

4. Instagram
Main functions + Innovative features
• An Instagram user account includes free, unlimited access to their social network with plenty
of fun play with photos. Users are granted the following features:
• User profile: Instagram lets you choose your own username and allows you to input a
profile that includes a bio of no more than 150-characters.
• 17 Custom Photo Filters: The photo filters transform ordinary, boring smartphone
pictures into snazzy legit photography masterpieces by editing its color, mood, border
and tonality of your photos. The creators wanted to imitate vintage, polaroid effects
without having to lug around an actual camera. But, if you feel your photo doesn’t need
an extra lift, you have the option of using no filter and/or no border. But where’s the fun in
that?

5. Instagram
Main functions + Innovative features
• Compatibility with Other Social Networks: Want to share on Facebook,
Tumblr, Twitter and Flickr all at once? Instagram saves you the extra time of
uploading to your other social networks by having a built-in multi-sharing
feature. You can also find friends through your existing social network accounts
to see if they’re using Instagram, too. Now everyone can know that you’re a true
mobile photographer!
• Simplistic Interface: Instagram is easy to
navigate and very minimalistic in design. There is
no limit on how many photos you can upload, no
caption character limit, and no rule about how
many times you can comment or like photos.
• Privacy: Instagram values the privacy of all its
loyal users but currently only offers a “private
profile” option which lets you control who sees
your profile by request. You can also report/flag a
photo if it is offensive to you or others. Hopefully
developers are working on ways to protect your
privacy as Instagram becomes mainstream
because privacy is definitely an issue in New
Media networking today.

6. Instagram
A New Vehicle For Advertising
• One of the many benefits of Instagram is being able to share one photo to a multitude of people at
one time for free. If that doesn’t scream POTENTIAL for advertisers, I don’t know what does!
• There isn’t any monetary functionality on the Instagram platform as of late (and they clearly state
this on their site), but there is definitely a future and booming opportunities for marketers and
advertisers to utilize this new wave of photo sharing.
• I have been an avid user of Instagram since it launched back in 2010. At first, I followed friends,
family and people I knew personally. As Instagram caught wind to many more people, a lot of
businesses, companies, brands, and even celebrities jumped on the bandwagon. I then followed
accounts that interested me and was especially excited to see Behind-The-Scenes (BTS) content
viewable only to their Instagram fan followers. This trend started a whole new personal connection
level with their audiences --something advertisers should absolutely take into account.

7. Instagram
A New Vehicle For Advertising
• For example, my favorite clothing company, Free People, runs a retail store, an eCommerce store, an
online blog, a Facebook fan page, a Twitter, and now they are easily one of the most followed on
Instagram.
• Although they cannot legally buy media space on Instagram at the moment, they’ve created several ways
to share their brand with consumers and fans without bombarding them with actual ads.
• BTS Photos: Free People has HQs in LA and NYC. Often times, they feature Free People employees on
their Instagram and followers are able to see a backstage pass to who’s behind the label. Free People also
posts photos of “what’s new”, “sneek peaks”, live events, and current projects of their line for their audiences
to like and/or comment. It gives this virtual one-on-one tour of a Free People employee POV as if you were in
their shoes. This method creates an intimate connection with fans and absolutely solidifies the relationship
they have with the brand by getting exclusive VIP-like access.

8. Instagram
A New Vehicle For Advertising
• Hash Tags: A “hash tag” is a tag on a photo that allows users to search for photos and people who
are using the same tag. It is usually typed as #yourtag. For instance, if I tagged my photo as
#FreePeople, Instagram users then have easier access to my post if they are searching for Free
People and are able to like and/or comment it. One time, Free People actually liked and commented
on a photo of mine that used their hash tag. It was awesome and it takes customer service to a
whole new level. Hash-tagging is beneficial to advertisers because it collects raw data of consumers
and it can give ideas of prime target audiences. Also, the interaction concept is very important in
building brand loyalty and ensuring fans’ appreciation

9. Instagram
Facebook + Instagram
• In more recent news, Facebook --the nation’s and parts of the world’s leading social network-- recently bought out
Instagram for $1,000,000,000... paid full in cash and stocks!
• How will this affect the former independently-run Instagram? I’m hoping it won’t affect them. According to
CNN.com, “Facebook likes to scoop up hot startups, kill their products, and redeploy their staff on other projects.
That's definitely not the plan for Instagram, all the players insist.” Instagram gained success literally overnight and
kept increasing during its first year trial with only a handful of staff overseeing the popular app. With Facebook on
its side, I’m expecting there will be more good done than bad.
• An app as great as Instagram was iPhone’s best kept secret. Then it became Android’s. And now Zuckerberg’s.
Although I was one of the disappointed fans of this social media buy-out merging, I have come to terms with the
understanding that Instagram needed a structural business plan if it wanted to survive the murky, fierce,
competitive social media waters. The team at Instagram vows to keep its photo-sharing app-abilities the same.
• How will this affect Facebook and advertising? Facebook bought Instagram as an avenue to better personal
advertising, bottom line. It’s to nobody’s surprise that ads on Facebook are really annoying. However, the only way
Facebook can generate revenue through its ads is if people actually clicked on them. Facebook needed to get
creative quick with their advertising before people started turning sour and this is where Instagram comes in.
• As I mentioned in an earlier slide, Instagram can share a post through multiple sources at once. A possible way to
create a better marketing experience on Facebook now that they are partners with Instagram is through
Instagram’s content. Say I take a photo of my new BMW on Instagram. I share it on Facebook. Facebook now has
the ability to sell that photo to BMW and use it as a personal consumer ad. This type of ad experience is more
genuine because my friends see that its my post, and not BMW. Less spammy ads on Facebook are ideal and
prove to be one of the objectives of this billion-dollar Instagram sale. (CNN.com)

10. Instagram
My Instagram Advertising
• Honestly, I am a fan of Instagram because it is simple. It uses still photos to speak instead of words, music, or
motion.
• I would use Instagram to market my product/business in 3 ways: personal, promotion, play
• Personal: Similar to many companies and businesses who have established their ground in the Instagram
world, I plan to create an account with plenty of BTS Content. I love being able to have exclusive, first-look
privileges just for following a brand. I’d show photos of production, of employees, of fans, of PR events or live
shows. I’d give the audience the up close & personal book-signing type of photo without actually having to
line up to get a closer look. The more positive behind the scenes a consumer sees, the more knowledge they
have of my product.
• Promotion: If it’s possible, I would post photos of coupons and special savings exclusive to Instagram users.
They can show the coupon from my Instagram and get discounts. I also like the idea of hash tags. If I’m
selling, say, a diamond ring. I could type in #diamondring or simply #ring on Instagram’s search bar and
promote/comment those who have photos of rings and who’d be interested in buying more.
• Play: The fun part of Instagram is that it’s this one big playground of what people view around them. They
take pictures of their food, their kids, their face, their vacations, etc. I’d probably do contests using hash tags
and photos for my product. People love playing, but they love winning more. So I’d love to do create contests
that involve scavenger hunts or even being artistic with the different filters Instagram offers. The possibilities
are endless with just a smartphone and Instagram in hand.

11. instagram