If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the social media landscape is flush with flatterers.
Consider how Facebook borrowed the hashtag from Twitter. In turn, Twitter lifted the algorithmic feed from Facebook. More recently, Instagram adopted Stories from Snapchat, although Instagram appears to have improved upon the feature.
Similar to Snapchat Stories, Instagram Stories allows users to create rolling montages of pictures. After users draw on the photos, type words over them or apply various filters, the creations vanish into the ether after 24 hours.
While Snapchat puts Stories in a side menu, Instagram Stories are featured front and center. Users can find them at the top of their main feeds. They can also pause, rewind and view anyone?s story–even if they?re not following them. The feature is about more than flexibility, though. It?s a chance to tap into the medium people seem to be using to comment on the world around them: images. It?s not about archiving the best moments in life, but discussing them–a fact not lost on marketers.
Adding to the conversation
Nike?s first Instagram Story racked up 800,000 views in a mere 24 hours. That figure dwarfs the attention received by the company?s best video on Snapchat, which garnered about 66,000 views.
It?s perhaps not shocking that Nike saw so much buzz considering its inaugural Instagram Story was a well-polished masterpiece to unveil new uniforms for the University of Michigan?s football team. Another wa...