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Eye On Why do Instagram Stories Matter? August 2016

Eye On: Why Do Instagram Stories Matter?

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Page 1: Eye On: Why Do Instagram Stories Matter?

Eye On!Why do Instagram Stories Matter?!August 2016!

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Contents!!1.  Table of contents!2.  What are Instagram Stories?!3.  How do Instagram Stories work?!4.  Why do Instagram Stories matter?!

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Eye On: Instagram Stories, Vol 5, Issue 3, August 2016 © Leo Burnett /// Arc Worldwide!

Eye On: Instagram Stories  

What Are Instagram Stories?!!On Aug 2, Instagram rolled out Stories, which now allows users to capture and share photo and video content that disappears after 24 hours. !!Sound familiar? !!It should.!!

The feature is a direct copycat of Snapchat – and Instagram isn’t trying to hide it. Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom credits Snapchat for the concept in the launch announcement for a product that could provide a massive opportunity for influencers.!

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Eye On: Instagram Stories, Vol 5, Issue 3, August 2016 © Leo Burnett /// Arc Worldwide!

Eye On: Instagram Stories  How Do They Work?!!Stories Are Familiar. Just like Snapchat, users take photos or videos up to 10 seconds long within the Stories section. Once captured, stickers and a pen tool let users alter the content before sharing. All content shared within a 24-hour period is linked together and can be viewed like a slideshow. After that 24 hours, the content disappears.!!What’s Different? Creatively, not too much. Users can choose from three different pen styles (advantage: Instagram) but won’t have any of the filters that keep Snapchatters engaged and give brands creative and targeted ad options. Instagram may yet add these features in future rollouts, but, for now, Snapchat has the leg up in giving yourself dog ears.!!Take a Look. Stories published by anyone you follow will display on a horizontal row at the top of your home screen. Algorithms drive which Stories you see first (the users you engage with most will get top spots), showing us that data is at the core of this new product, just like everything else on Facebook and Instagram.!!Unlike Snapchat, Stories visibility isn’t limited by your connections on the platform. You can go to any user’s profile (assuming it’s not private) to view their current Story. On the flip side, Instagram has also built in a layer of privacy, allowing users to select who has access to each piece of content they add to their story.! !

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To the Left: Two users and sometime-writers of Eye On try out the pen features when creating an Instagram Story.!!To the right: @Nasa uses Stories to let followers know when a meteor shower is going to happen. The lines at the top indicate how many more images in a Story they have queued up.!

Page 5: Eye On: Why Do Instagram Stories Matter?

Eye On: Instagram Stories, Vol 5, Issue 3, August 2016 © Leo Burnett /// Arc Worldwide!

Eye On: Instagram Stories  

Why It Matters.! !Stories opens a huge opportunity for brand social engagement and influencer partnerships. !!The most obvious benefit stems from community and reach. While Snapchat has seen a massive increase in users over the past six months, Instagram is the clear leader, with a much larger and more diverse user base and a built-in method to discover new accounts to follow. Instagram also brings Facebook’s analytics to the table, so brands will be able to understand the impact of their !Stories in a way that isn’t possible on Snapchat. Brands will also be able to reach their existing Insta audience with new and diverse types of content. As with the rollout of Facebook Live, Stories provide an authentic and more immediate way of sharing, which is the type of content Millennials and Gen Z are most eager to consume. !!The update reveals huge potential with influencers on Instagram. Not only will finding partners to publish sponsored Stories be easier (compared to Snapchat), the new way of sharing content will give brands a more natural way in to the influencer’s audience. Because the Stories format is less formal, users are more comfortable seeing a range of content types, branded or not. Brands looking to capture a!

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shopping journey could create a story that takes the user in-store to show products on shelves; brands struggling to incorporate products as part of a social creative concept can show packaging or the product in use woven into a larger story.!!We may also see influencers choosing one platform over the other. On the initial days of the product launch, many big Instagrammers published Stories talking through their confusion about how to share – should they publish similar stories to both channels or choose one over the other? For anyone not yet on Snapchat or struggling to grow that audience, the choice seems a no brainer. !!What does this mean for Snapchat? That remains to be seen. Now going head-to-head, expect a push for innovation from both Snapchat and Instagram. As a first step, Snapchat will almost certainly loosen their strict data restrictions while Instagram will look to build in engagement and creative ad options like filters. !

Click a bubble at the top of the feed to start playing an account’s Story.!