28 Jan X-Men take on Instagram
Regardless of what some might say about Instagram, Facebook were sufficiently interested to pay $1Billion for an 18 month old company that had no financial revenue – it didn’t even have a financial model (free to download, free to post, no ads)!
While it was clear that Facebook was paying for the ‘engaged’ community, it was also likely that they would change the platform somehow (see my reaction from the time above, “Instagram: Before and after Facebook” – visualised in Lego).
The introduction of video sharing in June 2013 was a popular addition to the app, and though a maximum of only 15 seconds can be uploaded per post, the opportunities appeared huge in comparison to Vine’s 6 second loops.
So, a couple of videos caught my eye in the last week that have adopted the platforms video capabilities beautifully.
The BBC – Despite a hokey title, InstaFax from the BBC is an reasonable attempt to engage a younger audience with the news. 15 second sound and video bites with large subtitle-style overlaid text act as tasters to headline news stories. I like it, but will it impress the target audience?
X-Men: Days of Future Past is the latest in the rebooted and now mashed-up movie franchise. On Thursday last week (23 January 2013) the Official X-Men Instagram account released a lightening 15 second mini-trailer – perfect for sharing and watching across mobile networks – especially for those of their younger (but essential) demographic for whom data-rates are still a concern.
A closer look at the account reveals that back in October an Instagram video was used to tease the imminent trailer release. Another masterful use of what Instagram can offer.
So why is no-one making more of this opportunity?
I’m sure there are others that I haven’t seen – so tell me, who is exploiting Instagram in the most creative or opportunistic way?
Who is making the most of its 15 seconds of fame?
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