Joining the ranks of Facebook and Twitter, Instagram has announced it will be moving to an algorithm based feed, as opposed to the traditional reverse chronological format.

CHANGES? WHAT CHANGES?

Essentially, Instagram will add an algorithm that reorders posts users see in their feed “based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting, and the timeliness of the post.”

This means Instagram will choose what to show and when, mirroring Facebook’s newsfeed model. Read Instagram’s full announcement here.

BUT WHY?

The move is partly to try and deal with the app’s increased popularity, to increase its user base and further monetise the platform, in an effort to grow and control ad content by pushing brands towards the “pay to play” model that Facebook currently employs.

Instagram maintains it is for the benefit of users, which is partially true – pushing posts to the top of timelines shows them what was popular when they weren’t using the app. As currently users are seeing, on average, only 30% of posts.

However, there has been an immediate negative backlash, users are not happy with algorithms deciding what they see.

That said, algorithms reward high performance users, since the more people who engage with a post, the more often posts will be promoted – thus amplifying the effect of popularity. So algorithms can work in an individual or brand’s favour.

HOW WILL IT AFFECT BRANDS?

It is difficult to tell just how restrictive the changes will be and the signals Instagram will use to deem content important and relevant, but using Facebook as a precedent, the changes will likely limit organic reach quite significantly.

Engagement rate will become an important stepping stone to increased reach, so creating engaging and relevant content will be key to achieving reach.

Paid Instagram advertising will be more common, another clue to Instagram’s monetisation strategy. In restricting organic reach, Instagram will open up new revenue opportunities as brands seek to gain greater access to their existing audience (and new ones).

Along with an increase in advertising, there will be increased demand for Instagram influencers. High quality, relevant influencers will provide brands opportunities to reach audiences; whilst also putting greater pressure on influencers to deliver.

WHAT CAN BRANDS DO?

There are steps brand can take now to encourage audience engagement and loyalty.

Sounds simple, but showering your followers with love is an easy start towards building a relationship, and will encourage your audience to post about and engage more with your brand.

Like followers’ photos back, respond to every comment, repost fan photos (with permission) and praise photos using your hashtags or posting about your brand.

Ask your followers to turn on post notifications, but don’t abuse the privilege, up your game now by creating interesting and valuable content.

It is unlikely Instagram will mimic Facebook exactly with regards to the suppression of organic reach of content, Instagram users are different and expect a level of authenticity and accessibility that isn’t always reflected on Facebook.

However, brands should start taking steps now to mitigate the updates, and monitor these changes closely in the coming months.

Facebook have just released their Reactions feature, expanding the Like button to include a variety of other emotions: Love, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry.

This gives people a choice about how they interact, rather than the passive interaction of clicking the ubiquitous Like button. Not everything that’s shared is meant to be liked, after all!

So what does this mean for marketers?

The changes encourage more of an active decision and will give brands more visibility on the sentiment of viewers’ reactions. Users who may not have previously wanted to Like your content are now able to send more specific signals about how it makes them feel.

All Reactions, positive or negative, are counted as a Like in Facebook’s algorithm, ultimately indicating to Facebook that the content is worth serving to other audiences. As yet, there are no announced timing on integrating with reporting and insights.

One of the implications is that whilst brands may get a higher volume of feedback, it is generally less specific. Whilst it is helpful to track general reaction trends on posts, we risk losing the specific insights you may have gleaned from comments.

Previously, if a user wanted to express a negative sentiment, they had to take the time to write a comment, thus qualitatively detailing what they were unhappy about.

Now, users who experience a negative reaction to your posts can react faster, by tapping a button as opposed to typing out a comment. It will be interesting to note how the comment volume changes compared to pre-Reactions Facebook.

Now there are new emotive options available, it could also diminish the meaning of getting a Like. If posts are only getting Likes, how do we know whether it’s resonating with the audience? It is early days, the uptake of Reactions will only increase and it will need to be monitored.

Ultimately, any reaction is better than none at all, you want users to be moved by your content.

This is only the beginning for Reactions – Facebook is constantly making updates to ads and algorithms, it’s important to stay abreast of changes and keep getting to know our audiences. 

52 brands purchased ad space in this year’s Super Bowl advertising extravaganza, at USD 5 million for 30 seconds, with an audience of 100 million, advertisers needed to make every dollar count.

Here is a list of our favourites! Some of the big hitters you might expect, with a few wild cards in there.

SNICKERS “MARILYN”

Another in the ‘you’re not you when you’re hungry’ series – this time, Willem Dafoe in a dress. Need we say more?

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AUDI “THE COMMANDER”

Set to David Bowie’s ‘Starman’, this short, steeped in the nostalgia is a nice piece.

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DORITOS “ULTRASOUND”

In a move that (apparently) outraged America, this Australian made commercial for Doritos makes the grade!

COLGATE “EVERY DROP COUNTS”

Instead of encouraging use of their product, it encourages mindfulness of an action. Turn ‘em off folks!

MARMOT “MARMOT”

Adorable animal doing human things? Check.

Did we miss any of your favourites?