technology

Instagram introduces advertisements to its TikTok copycat Reels

Date: June 19, 2021 Nandita Bhardwaj Nandita Bhardwaj
Instagram introduces advertisements to its TikTok copycat Reels 
Following a test, Instagram is reportedly set to bring ads to its short video service Reels. The ads will appear between two reels and will be full screen & vertical. These ads will last for 30 seconds on a loop.



Reels was launched on Instagram in August 2020, allowing users to create short clips and share them publicly or with a group of friends.



Justin Osofsky, COO of Instagram, apparently stated that the first thing the company aimed to get right is the user’s organic experience. After that, it planned to integrate advertising into it. Instagram declined to share Reels usage statistics.



Mr. Osofsky further said that there are different types of Reels content creators and users can choose to consume content based on their moods. This can be a bit different than consuming content from Instagram Stories or its feeds. He also added that brands are systematically using the short-video format for telling their own stories and consider advertising as an organic way by which they can reach their consumers.



CEO of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, humbly accepted that TikTok set a new benchmark in the short-form video industry and that Instagram was still catching up in this format. Even YouTube has followed suit and launched its own short-video format called Shorts.



TikTok is posing a challenge to Instagram in terms of usage in the United States. As per some reports, adult TikTok users spend more time on the app than adult Facebook users use Facebook. It also stated that Gen Z users will use TikTok more than Instagram in 2021.



However, Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, has mastered the art of advertising in comparison to TikTok. Facebook is predicted to account for a significant share of the total ad spend across the world in 2021.



Mr. Osofsky believes that Reels is ideal for posting advertisements. He also said that the expansive audience reach has increased Instagram’s capability to target ads and reach the right set of people in the right format at the right time.



Source Credits:



https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/17/instagram-officially-brings-ads-to-its-tiktok-competitor-reels.html



 

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Nandita Bhardwaj

Nandita holds a management degree with specialization in marketing, and boasts of a short-term experience in the field of recruitment. Following her passion for writing however, she decided to pursue a career in the field of content development. Presently, Nandita pens down news pieces for newsorigins.com, spanning the verticals of business, finance, and technology.