A common use of the platform is to show consumers what's
happening behind the curtain at a company. A recent image posted to
General Electric's account shows a
technician working on an engine in an aviation facility in Peebles,
Ohio, for example, and Tiffany & Co.'s account
photos shows the inside of a jewelry workshop in the store's
flagship Fifth Avenue location. But brands are also using Instagram
to run contests and source images. Levi's is currently running an
open casting call for models by asking Instagram users to tag their
photos with #IAmLevis for consideration, while Marc Jacobs recently asked Instagram users to tag their
holiday photos with #marcfam and then curated a selection on its
site.
Instagram has nine employees in San Francisco, and like many
early-stage social startups, hasn't publicly articulated its plans
for revenue. It launched with $500,000 in seed funding and closed a
$7 million funding round last February. While it doesn't officially
partner with brands, its head of business operations, Amy Cole,
says she offers suggestions when asked. She's aware of roughly 200
brands and organizations (including celebrities such as Justin
Bieber and nonprofits like Charity: Water) on the site.
She said brands that use Instagram are generally looking to
forge a more personal connection with their customers. "Photos can
be so emotional," she said. "It's a great way for users to really
connect with a brand in a way that 's different from text
posts."
Some brands like General Electric use their Instagram content
for their accounts on Tumblr, the blogging platform with a heavy
emphasis on images that 's experiencing similar growth and also putting
growth and utility before revenue. In some cases, the platforms are
being used together. The sportswear company Puma sent 10 bloggers
with major followings to Abu Dhabi last week to document activity
around the Volvo Ocean Race and the Mar Mostro racing yacht the
company is sponsoring. Most of the bloggers used both platforms and
were instructed to post with hashtags like #sailing and
#marmostro.
"Platforms like Instagram and Tumblr offer this neat connection
between the more creative/cultural set and like-minded brands such
as Puma," said Antonio Bertone, Puma's chief marketing officer, in
an emailed statement. "The people who are active on these portals
are the Puma consumer."
In the case of General Electric, which has roughly 34,000
followers on Instagram, the intent is to showcase the company's
impact in areas like energy and transportation by appealing to
enthusiasts with photos of engines, turbines and locomotives,
according to Linda Boff, executive director of global digital
marketing. In addition to its regular account, the company just
wrapped a campaign on the platform to find an "Instagrapher" who
will be flown to Wales to photograph an aviation facility. Nearly
4,000 Instagram photos were submitted with the hashtag
#GEInspiredMe and then posted on Facebook, where fans voted for the
finalists.
"We love the idea that Instagram lets us share this intersection
of science and technology, but doing it from a very visual,
artistic point of view," said Ms. Boff. "When you're as complicated
as GE, how you tell the story and how you bring the company to life
is incredibly important."
