Is Instagram a new opportunity for Brand marketing and communication?

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IG is a relatively new app with a growing number of users…

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Brands could already been devouring this IG application like a lion a piece of fresh meat but it seems S.M.O (Social Media Managers) are being cautious.

I’ve been an Instagram user for a long time now and I’m surprised to see that somehow the popular App still feels pretty much like and ‘’Add Free’’ Paradise.

After experiencing the constant bombarding of ‘’Promotions and ‘’Banners’’ in other social networks, in Instagram you can still share and enjoy your Pics with other IG Buddies in what still is a non commercial interface, and that’s great!

Nevertheless, I still believe that most users would find it interesting to have specific brands (brands we love and like) advertise on IG.

Although there have been some examples of advertising initiatives in the form of brands organising IG contests using #hashtags, for the main part, marketing has remained pretty much unobtrusive.

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And just when I started to believe that brands where simply not interested in IG…

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… I discovered that FlashFlash Tortilla, a small restaurant located in Madrid (Spain), was following my IG postings!

@FlashFlashMadrid is pretty much the most famous Spanish Omelette Restaurant in Madrid.  I don’t know if there is another type of restaurant in Madrid offering such a wide array of delicious omelettes, but was I ever surprised to find out they were following me on IG!

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There could not be a more appropriate name than ‘’FlashFlash’’ for a brand using IG as a Marketing tool!

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What is so cool about FlashFlash’s use of IG?  Its name: FlashFlash, its original, funny and directly related to…photography.  Then there is the brand’s logo that show’s someone holding a camera, and finally, the interior design of the place, it’s so cool that it makes you want to start snapping away images with your IG App…

Smart owners indeed!  Using IG as part of their marketing strategy is definitively a very cool Idea!

Congratulations!

Brands will slowly but surely start to show up on IG, they will probably come in with their strong marketing strategies and social media experts, but in meantime, we will probably keep stumbling upon brands such as @flashflashmadrid and their relatively  toned down marketing strategies.

Of course, these IG early adopter Brands have nothing in common with big advertising investments we see elsewhere in Social Media, but I believe that in some cases, ‘’less is more’’…

In five days, with only four pictures posted, FlashFlash managed to get 27 followers.  It’s a humble beginning but I’m certain that they will someday benefit hugely from it.

You never know…  This place could one day become the official Instagramers meeting point, I would even suggest to them to start thinking about a special ‘’Igers menu’’!!

@claramon

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Clara Montesinos IG user: @claramon works as Brand Strategy consultant in her own company.

She will be publishing regular posts about Marketing and Social Media best practices in Instagramers.com.

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Other examples of Brands already  on Instagram…

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Recently @Mashable and @CnnIreport launched a contest around #techlife hashtag

@StarBucks @Natgeo @abcworldnews @playboy @youtube @nbcnewspero are also on Instagram and we have no doubt that the list will soon be getting very very long.

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Celebrities and Hollywood Stars will no doubt be following the steps of the American Rapper Snoop Dogg who recently announced the launching of his @snoopdogg profile in Instagram which he will certainly be using to promote his Personal Brand Image.

And if you still have doubts about Instagram’s Marketing potencial, take a look at Mashable’s latest article:

How Brands Are Using Instagram to Reach New Audiences

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@philgonzalez (instagramers.com)

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