Skippable Ads Coming to Instagram Stories

[MacRumors]

Instagram today announced that more than 150 million people now use its Snapchat-like Stories feature on a daily basis, and now the company is looking to monetize that user base with the introduction of full-screen ads.

Just like Snapchat, Instagram will sometimes add a 5-second photo or 15-second video ad in between stories when a user watches more than one in a row. The video ads in particular are set to autoplay with audio. The good news: each ad can be skipped by swiping on it, according to TechCrunch.

Instagram said it will begin testing the ads over the coming weeks with over 30 global brands, such as Airbnb, Capital One, Buick, Nike, Netflix, and Qantas. In the future, the company said the ads may be tappable, enabling users to proceed to an advertiser's website to purchase a product or learn more information.

Instagram Stories enables users to share personalized photos and videos with their followers that disappear after 24 hours.

Article Link: Skippable Ads Coming to Instagram Stories

 

[Glassed Silver]

Full-screen AND audio AND auto-play.

But there's App Store guidelines for much pettier things...

Glassed Silver:ios

 

[asleep]

Wrong model to keep me as a user,

Nothing worse than popup, intrusive ads.

 

[Aluminum213]

Instagram is too popular at this point to deter any users away

 

[WaxedJacket]

Instagram is too popular at this point to deter any users away

I don't browse Stories but if they implement this into the standard picture upload and browsing feature,I could see myself dropping it.

 

[LordQ]

What did you expect from a Facebook company? Internet cancer, that's what that company is.

 

[TMRJIJ]

The world of ADs is coming sooner than you think.
If they offer a 'Remove ADs' in-app purchase option, I'm straight up deleting this app.

 

[Pakaku]

I'd love to see some numbers on users abandoning the app.

 

[69Mustang]

The world of ADs is coming sooner than you think.
If they offer a 'Remove ADs' in-app purchase option, I'm straight up deleting this app.

The sad thing is the companies don't care if you leave. They've learned that the vast, vast, vast majority of people are more than willing to accept ads if it means no financial outlay. It's the same with IAP. People are more than willing to be nickle and dimed to infinity. Spend $5-10 outright? Ha! "It's only worth 2.99"
/charges $2.99
"3 bucks for that? They should give us a trial"
/changes game to freemium
--> spends $65 on IAP over the next 3 months

We are our own worst enemy

 

[2457282]

Facebook is making Instagram into Facebook. And Snap is not too far behind. I gave up on Facebook a couple of years ago and just never got into Snap. I use instagram a little, but not sure for how long. The over-sharing culture that pretends that our lives are fantastic and perfect, is just a little beyond me. My life is not perfect and I cannot post every five minutes. I just like to post here where it is specific to a technology that I can geek out on.

 

[Fall Under Cerulean Kites]

First step, skippable ads.
Next step, unskippable ads.
But guess what? We all get precisely what we’re paying for.

 

[69Mustang]

Facebook is making Instagram into Facebook. And Snap is not too far behind. I gave up on Facebook a couple of years ago and just never got into Snap. I use instagram a little, but not sure for how long. The over-sharing culture that pretends that our lives are fantastic and perfect, is just a little beyond me. My life is not perfect and I cannot post every five minutes. I just like to post here where it is specific to a technology that I can geek out on.

My wife curates my Facebook page so I don't miss out on extended family announcements and such. I have Instagram and only follow my daughters. Just to make sure they aren't posting craziness. My wife and daughters love social media. Me, not so much.

 

[noisycats]

Give me a good ad, I'll watch. That's the key, make it good.

 

[Xavier]

Instagram is becoming a place for ads. I am loosing interest quickly.

 

[foxconn]

I lost interest when they changed the feed to be what an algorithm thinks I wanna see.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Instagram is too popular at this point to deter any users away

This is the truth. Yes, a few users may be turned away. Even if 1% stopped viewing because of this change, the millions in revenue they'll make on this change every month will more than offset it.

 

[mcrawley]

I lost interest when they changed the feed to be what an algorithm thinks I wanna see.

This. The ads will be an additional reasons to fade from the platform.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Ugh. This is a baaaaaaad idea. Putting pop up ads on 2 second videos? How annoying. Seriously. Unless Instagram plans to offer a monthly "pay" service like Spotify does to eliminate ads, I do not think this will work. I could see people stop using Instagram stories altogether if they have to deal with pop up ads constantly interrupting.

 

[Johnny907]

Thank god I go out of my way to ignore Instagram Stories then. If I want to view a video, I'll go to SnapChat

 

[viachicago22]

I don't know all the reasons why but I still love Snapchat and hate Instagram Stories