Dive Brief:
- Instagram is expanding the maximum length of video ads running on the platform for the second time since September, allowing up to 60-second treatments.
- T-Mobile is the first to run take advantage of the longer format, running a 60-second version of its Super Bowl ad starring rapper Drake.
- The cellular company is using Facebook tools to target custom and lookalike audiences with the campaign; Warner Bros. also has a 60-second ad in the works.
Dive Insight:
T-Mobile became the first advertiser to run a 60-second ad on Instagram Wednesday, running a longer treatment of its wry Super Bowl ad featuring rapper Drake coping with the fine print in cellular contracts. Instagram first introduced video ads in October 2014 at 15 seconds in length, and expanded their maximum length 30 seconds in September.
Advertisers on Instagram have access to all targeting tools offered by parent company Facebook, including Custom Audiences, which taps outside information to market to specific users, and Lookalike Audiences, which uses anonymized information to find consumers similar to those in the first group.
Equipped with the same targeting tools, 98 out of 100 Facebook advertisers also run ads on Instagram, Brand Networks reports. Instagram served 670 million ad impressions in December 2015, up from virtually zero at the end of the visual platform’s ad testing phase in August.
“Video advertising on Instagram is rising to prominence incredibly quickly,” said Jamie Tedford, CEO and founder of Brand Networks in the report. “Brands who can offer this compelling video content stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression on the viewer.”