What Happened
According to a new eMarketer report, Instagram is set to generate $2.81 billion in ad sales by 2017, making it bigger than Google and Twitter in terms of U.S. display ad sales. Such an optimistic projection is no doubt fueled by Instagram’s efforts in making its platform more brand-friendly in the past few months, including debuting new “Carousel” multi-photo ad unit with clickable links, launching its first official content vertical, and retooling its search and explore page to offer brands more ad opportunities. Its inherently visual platform also grants brands a natural environment for native ads, while its parent company Facebook presumably provides a strong data support for targeting and measurements.
What Brands Should Do
With the increasing usage of ad-blocking extension, we have long advised brands to look into native advertising to bypass the blocking for higher engagements and better viewability. In this ever-shifting market landscape, quickly adopting emerging ad platforms is becoming increasingly important for brands of all types.
Source: AdWeek
