Today’s society is becoming increasingly mobile-centric, looking to their phones for entertainment and to stay connected with the rest of the world. Brand’s have become aware of this and are looking to capitalise on the situation through mobile advertising. Mobile advertising is a contemporary way of promoting a brand to their target market through various apps and social networking sites, using sponsored images, posts and videos.

Short video ads are extremely important on the mobile platform, simple and punchy videos that stimulate and engage the user. After months of testing, Instagram, who are owned by Facebook, have deals for 15-second auto play slots for Activision, Banana Republic, CW, Disney and Lancôme that will appear over the next few coming weeks. For instance, Activision are promoting the next instalment to the video game franchise Call of Duty. Auto play is a feature used on Instagram in which when the user scrolls over a video, it will begin to play automatically, this is also featured on the Facebook website in the news feed section. This removes the users decision as to whether they want to view the video or not, although they can simply just keep scrolling downwards to stop the video.

Popular mobile messaging app and mobile advertising rival Snapchat put forth their first mobile advert this week, with a deal with Universal Pictures to promote their movie ‘Ouija’. The ad was featured in their recent updates section and appeared in the same way as which a users ‘story’ is displayed. This gave the users a choice as to whether they wished to watch the advertisement or not, if they decided against viewing it then the ad would disappear from their recent updates within 24 hours. The company are seeing the addition of ads to their app as not a big deal due to this option to view; “No biggie” as the company said in its recent blog.

Some users may find it intrusive to suddenly have adverts on a, so far, commercial free app. Instagram’s auto play feature could potentially cause issues and negative comments from users as it risks the feeling of the ad being forced upon them, where as Snapchat are still giving the option to its user’s they are less likely to receive complaints or negative feedback.

Instagram has been particularly hands on with the brands in regards to their static image ads, which were launched last year, and they have been the same when it comes to the videos. They review all clips to ensure they contain fresh new content that will fit in with their platform, not just repurposed TV or web commercials.

“Instagram is almost a magazine, and it wants its ads like in a magazine, to be just as compelling as content” – James Borow, CEO of Digital Marketing Platform ‘Shift.’

Instagram have so far been very selective about who’s ads will feature on their app and the content that will be within them, but with the demand for mobile advertising becoming increasingly popular, how long will it be before they drop their standards and allow for self-serve advertising like many other social networking platforms offer.

Short form video media is an extremely useful tool for promoting your brand and accessing a wide audience. Although Instagram isn’t yet accessible for just anyone to create his or her own ads, a look to the future suggests this will not always be the case and there are many other platforms available to advertise on. So if you’re thinking about taking that next step and want to advertise your brand, there is definitely something we can do to help. From localised adverts centred on small regions to bigger national or international projects, we will do everything to help you reach out to the audience you want.

Get a further insight into what exactly we do at LoveLove by checking out our website at www.lovelovefilms.com

If you want to discuss how LoveLove Films can create some exciting and affordable TV commercials for your brand contact us now at: info@lovelovefillms.com or call 0044 (0)1202 537858