The other day, I was trolling my Instagram feed per usual, and I came across a design*sponge post with these beautiful, delicate mushrooms, which they said were made from paper.
And I thought, 'No way." Come to find out, it's all about the paper. Kate is using crepe paper for the mushroom cap, honeycomb paper for texture and a straw to support the stem. While it still seems like a delicate fingered activity, it no longer seems impossible.
These days, Instagram is my social media of choice. Sure they allow ads now, but it’s graphic configuration still cuts back drastically on the obnoxious noise and clutter of the Facebook feed.
I’ve struggled though, with how exactly to use Instagram as a marketing tactic. How do you inspire engagement beyond a simple “like” of a photo? Especially when Instagram has such strict restrictions on adding live links.
Here’s two big brand marketing campaigns that have somewhat blown my mind on their big picture thinking, and dedication to managing the results of multiple clicks to drive a user experience.
Reynold’s Wrap – The Endless Table Using the grid structure, when looked at as a whole, Reynolds Wrap has created a seamless table. I’ve never seen the grid used this extensively and it’s an impressive feat of photographic engineering. But it goes further than that. Each image references a user (@pumpkincaramelbars for example) and when you visit that user, you are taken to a new board that has a grid of step-by-step photo instructions from that recipe. Which means each recipe is it’s OWN account and every recipe has had it’s own photoshoot.
Mercedez: Build your Own This YouTube clip demonstrates it the campaign pretty well. Mercedez
used photo tagging to circumvent Instagram rules on links. And each
click takes you to a new board, based on your selection the last board.
It’s really very simple, and it’s the most interactive application of
Instagram I’ve encountered. Basically,
this boils down to managing dozens (if not hundreds) of accounts to
accommodate the numerous variations that could be built. I’m impressed by the thought process here, building it and managing the “choose your own adventure” options, had to of been tedious. And essentially, each board is a dead account – New posts won’t be added, they exist solely for this gimmick.* It’s often hard to think outside of the box. Which is essentially what Instagram is, lots of tiny little boxes. I admire the minds that formulated these campaigns, and even more the patience that executed them! I look forward to seeing more innovative uses of the Instagram platform. *which is why I’m tickled that people followed some of these pages for the features!
Have you met Barbie yet? Her and her friends are just about the hippest, most authentic people I know. The curated life of Socality Barbie on Instagram recently jumped over a million followers in under a week. Why do we love her so much? Well, while we know she's poking fun at the average Instagram user, she does so in such an authentic and beautiful way that we can't help but admire her radness for it. You can read the super fun interview with hipster Barbie on Sprudge.com, because there's nothing more authentic then a girl made of plastic.
As millions of teens flee Facebook, I've begun to wonder if they're smarter than the whole lot of us. Facebook has almost become a dirty word, and I find myself put off by the whole process and idea (and the fact that I recognized a friend's wife and child who I never met at Meijer, simply because I'd seen them on Facebook...).
It's Facebook's 2012 acquisition, Instagram, that has drawn my attention as of late. No ads, no baby pics, no weather rants, no silly games, just pretty pictures and fancy filters. It's simple, it's clean, and there's a certain level of impersonal, anonymous-ness to it.
But most importantly, it's full of pretty pictures, and lots and lots of glorious food porn! I suggest you check it out!
