Banana Republic Jumps On First Wave of Instagram Video Ads

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Banana Republic and Lancôme are among Instagram's first group of companies to launch video ads on the social media platform. The videos will start showing up in user feeds today, in the same way that sponsored photos have been filtering through for almost a year. When regular ads first launched on Instagram, Michael Kors, Burberry, Macy's, and Levi's were among the first brands to buy ads.

The Verge pointed out that the companies don't seem too concerned with making sure the videos flow with what kind of content users usually see on Instagram. When photo advertising was first released on Instagram, brands felt compelled (looking at you, Michael Kors) to make sure their shots looked just as Instagrammable as any other photo shared on the platform.
· Instagram launches video ads today [The Verge]
· Instagram's Video Ads Are Finally Live, and Here Are 4 From Major Brands [Adweek]
· Instagram's Shady, Back-Alley, Big-Money Dealings [Racked]
· The Dirty Business of Buying Instagram Followers [Racked]