Instagram Brand Adoption Study - November 2012 - By Simply Measured

Top Brands See the Big Picture with Instagram A Study of the Interbrand Top 100 Brands on Instagram

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Here’s something you should already know by now: Instagram is not going away.

The modest photo-sharing app started 2012 with 15 million users. Nine months later, they’ve cracked 100 million and continue to grow. With engagement inspired by content sharing through their new parent company Facebook, Instagram has graduated from “a fun new social network” to an integral component for marketing in the social space.

This study looks at the growth of Instagram and the adoption of the social network by the top 100 brands in the world. The data and analysis come from Simply Measured’s industry-leading social media

, that helps marketers report on Instagram engagement in context with analytics & reporting platformcompetitors and broader social channels.

Instagram Adoption Growth Outpaces Other Networks

While Facebook and Twitter both still hover near 100% adoption rates, these other growing social networks are gaining popularity and recognition among the top 100 brands. Pinterest has grown by 24% and Google+ has seen only a 5% increase in adoption, while Instagram leads the pack with a 35% increase amongst top brands. Since they’re still the least used of the five networks, this could be easy to overlook, but that would be a mistake. Instagram’s ability to attract top brands as a mobile-only platform serves as a reminder of the network’s power, as well as a willingness among brands to adapt and move into new spaces.

Since August, over a million users have followed at least one of the brands on the Interbrand list. As the lines between casual social content and visual marketing continue to blur, this number is sure to keep growing. The 14 brands that have joined the mobile network over the last three months recognize the potential reach created by this involvement.

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Brand Usage is Heating Up

Of the brands with Instagram accounts, more and more are actively engaging fans. In August, only 26% of these brands were posting at least one photo per week. Today 34% are doing so. This focus on actively developing a richer experience has driven an increase in strong brand accounts. In August, only 17% of accounts had 10,000+ fans. Today 20% have hit this milestone. Accounts with 20,000+ have grown by 29% as well.

Leading Brands Continue to Separate from the Pack

Although more and more brands are gaining their slice of the market, it will be hard to catch the Instagram leaders. The same eight brands with 100,000+ followers sit at the top of the list, and those eight brands control 92% of the engagement.



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The most active category on Instagram is apparel, and this translates directly into number of fans: Nike, Burberry, Gucci and Adidas are in the top 10 brands, with Armani and GAP close behind. As is the case across all social networks, the B2C brands are more active with their audience, and generally have more compelling content to share.

Favorite Filters: The Most Engaging and Most Used

Lo-Fi remains the favorite filter among brands, seeing 16% of the filter usage, but Hefe has seen a higher engagement per use. While only 5% of the total photos have used the Hefe filter, those photos are averaging 4,515 interactions each. While Hefe’s engagement rate is the highest, each filter serves a different purpose, and engagement is strong throughout the suite.

Shared Resources: Facebook Interaction Drives Engagement



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There have been over 800 more photos posted by top brands this quarter, and although slightly lower, engagement per photo hasn’t seen a significant shift. On Facebook however, interaction has grown and brands have seen an average of 210 interactions per photo. This is mainly due to Facebook’s new additions to Instagram, allowing photos that users “like” on Instagram to appear in their Facebook feed as well. While not every user is aware of the setting (or willing to adopt it), the ones who have are making a clear impact on their favorite brand’s presence.

Brand Highlight: Nike Just Does It on Instagram

Nike has a history of aggressive marketing. Why would Instagram be any different?

The athletic apparel brand has 527,300followers on Instagram, ranking 3rd amongst the Interbrand 100, and totaled just over 2 million interactions in the last 3 months. Like the rest of the list, they’ve seen a huge jump in their Facebook engagement, with over 612 likes per photo.

The notable thing about Nike – other than the fact that they’re one of the largest, most recognizable brands in the world – is that they’re not afraid to switch their content up throughout the network and appeal to vastly different segments of their audience.

Marketing to shoe lovers, marathon runners and football fans means that you’re not going to engage everyone with every photo, but Nike is willing to commit; they’ll spend two weeks using Instagram exclusively to promote their Nike Women’s Marathon, and then switch it up with a flashy pair of high tops



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for the sneaker heads.

This tactic works wonders for the behemoth brand, who sees over four interactions for each follower they have.

Conclusion

Nine months ago, Instagram was a 15 million user blip on the social screen. Today, that blip on over 100 million screens in the mobile world with 54% of top brands taking part. Large brands are finding new and innovative ways to grow and engage audiences, and users are making their presence known. While Facebook has greatly impacted the Instagram space, the network continues to feed on its own momentum as well.

Simply Measured’s Instagram analytics helps brand measure and analyze Instagram data as part of a complete suite of social media analytics and reporting. These tools help brands and agencies measure the dent they’re making in the Instagram space, including total engagement, shares, likes and comments, and Instagram’s impact on their broader digital footprint. To see how Simply Measured can help you develop your Instagram account, try our . Free Instagram User Report


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Instagram Brand Adoption Study - November 2012 - By Simply Measured