What Happened
Instagram is getting a bit Snapchatty with the debut of a new Stories feature that closely resembles Snapchat’s popular feature of the same name. Instagram Stories allows users to share photos and videos that will disappear after 24 hours with their followers. The interface design Instagram chose for this new feature also calls to mind that of Snapchat, displaying the Stories as a row of circles at the top of the app. In an interview with TechCrunch, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom acknowledged the similarity by admitting that Snapchat “deserves all the credit,” but also promises that Instagram will put its own spin on the feature.
Why Brands Should Care
Snapchat has seen impressive growth over the past few years, amassing over 150 million daily active users as of June and surpassing Twitter in daily usage to become a formidable force in the mobile and social media spaces. So it makes sense for Instagram to take a stab at developing a similar feature as the two apps enter a head-on fight for user attention. Although Instagram has not specified whether it will insert ads into Stories as Snapchat does, it seems safe to assume that Stories will start carrying ads sooner or later given that Instagram has been ramping up its ad efforts in recent months with its ad sales expected to jump to $1.5 billion this year. For brands looking to reach mobile consumers via social platforms, this new feature marks an interesting development that brands need to be aware of.
Source: The Verge
Header image courtesy of Instagram’s Vimeo vidoe