Last November, popular photo sharing app Instagram introduced ads to users in the U.S. In just six months, they gained nearly 50 million new users as Instagram expands ads to greater markets, including international users.
According to Kurt Wagner’s article, “Instagram Expands Ads to International Users,” Instagram has decided to expand its advertising to international users.
“The photo-sharing service owned by Facebook announced on Tuesday that it will begin showing in-feed ads to international users. Instagram will start with three countries — Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia — but more countries could be added in the future.” The in-feed ads will be customized for specific international regions to increase the number of Instagram users.
Instagram received mixed reviews when the ads were introduced. The ads were popular and received thousands of likes, but some users left negative comments about the attempt to monetize. The ads included a blur effect designed to focus users on the product or brand the image was promoting, for example.
This will be Instagram’s second time producing native ads. Instagram’s global advertising strategy includes working with local advertisers in different countries to increase the number of users worldwide.
Read more in an excerpt from the article.
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It’s unclear how many of Instagram’s 200 million-plus users are outside the United States — the company doesn’t break down its user demographics publicly. Instagram also did not identify any of its upcoming international advertisers, but a spokesperson did say that the ads will be tailored and targeted to the individual regions.
“We’ll work closely with a handful of advertisers in each country who are already great members of the Instagram community,” a spokesperson told Mashable. “That could mean it’s a global brand with a strong presence in one of the countries, or a regional/local brand specific to that country.”
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