Users in the US will start to see ads in the next couple of months
Ads are coming to Instagram in the next couple of months, the photo- and video-sharing app maker said Thursday.
Starting out, users in the U.S. may see an occasional ad in their feeds, the company announced.
The ads will come as both photos and videos and will be from brands that users do not follow, Instagram said.
Instagram said it will start rolling out the ads slowly, "from a handful of brands that are already great members of the Instagram community."
A spokeswoman for Instagram declined to comment further or to say which brands would be coming on first.
The aim, according to Instagram, is to have the ads feel as natural as the photos and videos coming from the brands that people do follow.
Instagram's clean interface and processing filters have helped to make it one of the most prominent photo-sharing apps. Facebook bought it for about US$1 billion last year, when the app reportedly had little or no revenue.
Instagram claims to have 150 million members, and it may risk losing some of them if it clogs their feeds with ads.
Still, some saw the move as inevitable as Instagram tries to monetize its service. In July, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked during the company's quarterly earnings call whether people would start seeing ads in their Instagram feeds.
His answer: Probably yes, in time.
Instagram said there would be controls for users to hide ads they don't like and to provide feedback to the company.
Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com
The second episode of CMO’s 3-part video series on how CMO50 luminaries are achieving greater marketing agility has landed!
The humble unboxing video is a powerful tool. Correctly executed, it harnesses consumer fandom, viral authenticity and brand design magic to deliver a high-impact message to a tightly targeted cohort of consumers.
Purpose is the ultimate statement of intent for many organisations. Why are we here? What are we trying to achieve?
Warren Buffet is an unlikely ally for marketers. But his belief businesses need strategic moats that increase their value in the market while acting as barriers to competitors can offer marketers a new playbook for brand building and driving growth.
who wants to date me I am 9 years old and i am a boy
Jeremy Hawkins
Sink a sub gaming experience signals Subway's renewed brand push
Great read. I agree that it should be a perfect balance between interacting with your customers and knowing your brand. As a business, yo...
Caroline Scott
7 ways CMOs can improve their customer engagement game
Very true. Team development helps improve collaboration among the team members. I was able to improve my team's collaboration skills by t...
Quent Sinder
Why empowering others can help make you a great leader
CRM is a very good software that can help you succeed in your business. In my company, this system has allowed me to improve customer rel...
Anna Janicka
Sensis rebrands to Thryv and brings business software to Australian SMBs
AI Leasing Assistants have finally arrived for the multifamily industry. With so many to choose from it can be hard to figure out which i...
Alice Labs Pte. Ltd.
CMO's top 8 martech stories for the week - 6 May 2021