Instagram Partners With 41 Tech Companies to Improve Advertising Experience
By Carlton Wilcoxson • November 13, 2015
Instagram today unveiled 41 marketing-tech partners that will help it grow its burgeoning advertising business. These first few dozen companies are just the first wave in a larger plan to partner with at least 100 vendors who will focus on improving ad campaign management, interaction with users and content marketing capabilities.
“[They] help solve a wide variety of business challenges—whether it’s driving more installs for a new mobile gaming app, or driving in-store foot-traffic during the holidays,” according to an Instagram blog post. “We have partners available to help drive both brand and performance objectives across a wide range of businesses.”
The San Francisco tech player has had a busy second half of the year, opening its API this summer and adding new tools for optimizing ads this fall. The app recently surpassed 400 million users, and the lineup of companies around the world will help boost brands’ presence on the platform.
In some ways, by partnering with many tech vendors, Instagram is repeating the process its parent company Facebook undertook years ago.
Jim Squires, director of marketing operations at Instagram, said his platform’s machinations are a “natural evolution,” stating that many businesses have lagged behind the shift to mobile. (The company said Facebook and Instagram combined now account for one in every five minutes spent on a mobile device.)
“The two programs are very complementary to each other to allow marketers to achieve business results on Facebook, on Instagram, and as well as on Facebook and Instagram together,” Squires told Adweek.
Mobile advertising revenue continues to increase for Facebook. In its third-quarter earnings released last week, mobile revenue totalled $3.4 billion, accounting for 78 percent of Facebook’s overall ad business.