| Instagram Announces Global Ad |
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By: Jessica Cherok |
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 The popular photo-sharing app, Instagram, has announced the introduction of advertisements in the UK, U.S., and Canada.
There are currently 200 million Instagram users worldwide, 35 million of which are in the United States. Because of its high number of users, eMarketer deemed their choice to add ads a “logical step.” Now, Instagram will be able to allow global companies to expand their advertising efforts outside of the U.S.
Advertising isn’t exactly new to Instagram. The company announced ads would be coming to its U.S. users back in 2012, but was very slow in rolling the ads out. In fact, most U.S. users probably haven’t even seen an ad in their Instagram feed. Still, Instagram has said its advertisers have seen returns “well above the ad industry’s average.”
Companies currently advertising on Instagram include GE, Adidas, Taco Bell, and Levi’s.
But why was Instagram so slow in rolling out ads in the first place? After all, its parent company, Facebook, has been swift to include ads in its feed. Most of the slow pace had to do with the amount of negativity Instagram users have toward ads ruining their experience with the app. Many felt ads would be too intrusive in their feeds.
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Jessica Cherok is an advocate for online privacy, campaigning for ethical data practices and the protection of personal privacy.
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