A roundup of photos from NPR
Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2025 6:37 am
6 photos per second
Every week, Instagram attracts around 130,000 new users and adds 3.6 million new photos. That's 6 per second. However, the numbers aren't all positive: in March, more than a third of the registered users were inactive and only 5 percent had uploaded more than 50 photos . Typical of a relatively young, free online service? It seems that way. The number of active Instagram users who upload photos continues to grow every day. In addition, there are undoubtedly also users who don't upload anything but do actively follow others.
Growth curve of uploads per week by RJMetrics
Which brands are active on Instagram?
The number of users combined with the increasing popularity makes Instagram also interesting for business. A number of companies have already taken the step and are actively present.
A few weeks ago, Starbucks tested the public's reactions to its new logo via Instagram. The popular coffee bar also regularly offers glimpses into the company itself. From tasting sessions in the boardroom to new product ideas. The constant stream of user-generated content ('Instagramers' who tag their photos with '#starbucks') makes the brand one of the most vibrant. Starbucks has over 10,000 followers on Instagram.
An overview of photos from Starbucks
Levi's Brazil is also present on Instagram and shares a lot of photos. The main reason for them to participate is that the target group in the South American country is remarkably active on Instagram. The fashion brand mainly shares product images, shows future product releases and street scenes of hip people who fit the brand. In this way, it creates an interesting visual brand presence on Instagram.
An overview of photos from Levi's Brazil
NPR (an American media company) has been on Instagram for quite some time, has 24,000 followers and uses the application mainly as a real-time photo diary. Reporting by means of images. The ultimate goal of NPR? To publish a photo with the same news value as that of the US Airways plane in the Hudson via Twitpic.
The brand with the wings, Red Bull , has also jumped on the bandwagon of Instagram. Users who post a photo with the tag '#redbullwinter' could compete for a prize. Every day, the brand posts a 'daily awesome' about one of the Red Bull events worldwide. Interestingly, it is also active in commenting on and 'liking' images that are shared (and that, according to the brand, fit perfectly with the brand identity).
An overview of photos from Red Bull
Hotel chain NH has used Instagram in a slightly different way . They asked people to take a picture of poland phone number list the beginning of something and tag it with '#WakeUpPics'. This message then had to be tweeted. 'Instagramers' who did this had a chance to win a number of prizes. The competition has yielded a large selection of nice photos (viewable via Flickr ) and NH is reaching out to the target group in a different way than usual.
An overview of photos from NH Hotels
What are the opportunities for companies on Instagram?
Instagram is not a medium that generates direct sales. However, it can be of added value to the marketer in the long term. To start with, Instagram meets an important step in the customer process, namely 'reach': being where the target group is . The growing number of 'Instagramers' creates an interesting group of people to communicate with as a brand. Certainly in this phase, in which relatively many trendsetters use the new medium.
The moment a user follows a brand is important. He or she then shows involvement. Instagram is then an excellent platform for a brand to start a conversation with the target group: sharing images, receiving and giving feedback. It is important for participating companies to handle this well: first observe the behavior of the target group and then start the conversation. Do this by sharing images that are actually worth watching (and sharing).
For companies that already use Instagram, this choice seems obvious. These are often companies for which emotion is an important value of their identity. Because the service is based on images, it is a very suitable way to introduce fans and potential fans to the emotional identity of the brand. Of course, there are also brands for which this characteristic is less prominent. For them, Instagram seems a less obvious application. The case of NH Hotels shows that this does not necessarily have to be the case.
The Future of Instagram
The use of Instagram by businesses is still fairly conventional and not much different from other social campaigns. The Instagram API, released in February, is set to change this. This API allows developers to request real-time updates regarding user photos (from applications other than Instagram), tags, locations or geographic location. Instagram itself has launched a demo website to explain this , showing updates from users within a five-kilometer radius of a number of capital cities.
The nice mash-ups that the API has already produced, such as the web gallery Instagrid , a kind of 'hot-or-not' website Pic-a-fight and the possibility to show images on the iPad with Instagallery , will be joined by applications that are more unconventional. Think for example of an 'imaged based' location game or the integration of photos with a certain tag in other applications (such as food or fashion communities). Possibilities galore!
Instagram's mash-up Pic-a-fight
The founders of Instagram also have an interesting vision of the future. They would like to take the place that the classic way of advertising used to have (reaching an audience by 'pushing' advertisements). Instagram is all about digitally sharing images. According to them, these can also be images with advertising purposes. Advertisers must then commit to an authentic image that tells a story (as Starbucks already does). The founders themselves see it like this: ' Our vision for Instagram in the long run is seeing the world as it happens through other people's eyes' . But then with a nostalgic filter...
Every week, Instagram attracts around 130,000 new users and adds 3.6 million new photos. That's 6 per second. However, the numbers aren't all positive: in March, more than a third of the registered users were inactive and only 5 percent had uploaded more than 50 photos . Typical of a relatively young, free online service? It seems that way. The number of active Instagram users who upload photos continues to grow every day. In addition, there are undoubtedly also users who don't upload anything but do actively follow others.
Growth curve of uploads per week by RJMetrics
Which brands are active on Instagram?
The number of users combined with the increasing popularity makes Instagram also interesting for business. A number of companies have already taken the step and are actively present.
A few weeks ago, Starbucks tested the public's reactions to its new logo via Instagram. The popular coffee bar also regularly offers glimpses into the company itself. From tasting sessions in the boardroom to new product ideas. The constant stream of user-generated content ('Instagramers' who tag their photos with '#starbucks') makes the brand one of the most vibrant. Starbucks has over 10,000 followers on Instagram.
An overview of photos from Starbucks
Levi's Brazil is also present on Instagram and shares a lot of photos. The main reason for them to participate is that the target group in the South American country is remarkably active on Instagram. The fashion brand mainly shares product images, shows future product releases and street scenes of hip people who fit the brand. In this way, it creates an interesting visual brand presence on Instagram.
An overview of photos from Levi's Brazil
NPR (an American media company) has been on Instagram for quite some time, has 24,000 followers and uses the application mainly as a real-time photo diary. Reporting by means of images. The ultimate goal of NPR? To publish a photo with the same news value as that of the US Airways plane in the Hudson via Twitpic.
The brand with the wings, Red Bull , has also jumped on the bandwagon of Instagram. Users who post a photo with the tag '#redbullwinter' could compete for a prize. Every day, the brand posts a 'daily awesome' about one of the Red Bull events worldwide. Interestingly, it is also active in commenting on and 'liking' images that are shared (and that, according to the brand, fit perfectly with the brand identity).
An overview of photos from Red Bull
Hotel chain NH has used Instagram in a slightly different way . They asked people to take a picture of poland phone number list the beginning of something and tag it with '#WakeUpPics'. This message then had to be tweeted. 'Instagramers' who did this had a chance to win a number of prizes. The competition has yielded a large selection of nice photos (viewable via Flickr ) and NH is reaching out to the target group in a different way than usual.
An overview of photos from NH Hotels
What are the opportunities for companies on Instagram?
Instagram is not a medium that generates direct sales. However, it can be of added value to the marketer in the long term. To start with, Instagram meets an important step in the customer process, namely 'reach': being where the target group is . The growing number of 'Instagramers' creates an interesting group of people to communicate with as a brand. Certainly in this phase, in which relatively many trendsetters use the new medium.
The moment a user follows a brand is important. He or she then shows involvement. Instagram is then an excellent platform for a brand to start a conversation with the target group: sharing images, receiving and giving feedback. It is important for participating companies to handle this well: first observe the behavior of the target group and then start the conversation. Do this by sharing images that are actually worth watching (and sharing).
For companies that already use Instagram, this choice seems obvious. These are often companies for which emotion is an important value of their identity. Because the service is based on images, it is a very suitable way to introduce fans and potential fans to the emotional identity of the brand. Of course, there are also brands for which this characteristic is less prominent. For them, Instagram seems a less obvious application. The case of NH Hotels shows that this does not necessarily have to be the case.
The Future of Instagram
The use of Instagram by businesses is still fairly conventional and not much different from other social campaigns. The Instagram API, released in February, is set to change this. This API allows developers to request real-time updates regarding user photos (from applications other than Instagram), tags, locations or geographic location. Instagram itself has launched a demo website to explain this , showing updates from users within a five-kilometer radius of a number of capital cities.
The nice mash-ups that the API has already produced, such as the web gallery Instagrid , a kind of 'hot-or-not' website Pic-a-fight and the possibility to show images on the iPad with Instagallery , will be joined by applications that are more unconventional. Think for example of an 'imaged based' location game or the integration of photos with a certain tag in other applications (such as food or fashion communities). Possibilities galore!
Instagram's mash-up Pic-a-fight
The founders of Instagram also have an interesting vision of the future. They would like to take the place that the classic way of advertising used to have (reaching an audience by 'pushing' advertisements). Instagram is all about digitally sharing images. According to them, these can also be images with advertising purposes. Advertisers must then commit to an authentic image that tells a story (as Starbucks already does). The founders themselves see it like this: ' Our vision for Instagram in the long run is seeing the world as it happens through other people's eyes' . But then with a nostalgic filter...