The Image Factory

The last time you checked Instagram, your 5 minute work break turned into a 45 minute trip to Rome with Kendall Jenner. Next thing you know you’re 3 ½ years deep into your ex-boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend’s sister’s feed…and you accidentally liked her photo. Sound familiar? It’s not entirely your fault. Blame it on spontaneous advertising, the most recent piece in Instagram’s social media game.

A modern day version of Andy Warhol’s The Factory and with over 700 million monthly users, Instagram is the go-to social scene. The company’s mission was recently revamped to, “strengthening relationships through shared experiences,” and with the introduction of Stories, the app does just that. Gone are the days when posting one photo with a catchy caption was enough to capture your attention. With the addition of Stories, users can highlight each second of the most mundane or most exotic experiences. But where does marketing fit into this modern mecca?

Advertising used to be as simple as printing a photo in the local newspaper for a 5 cent can of soup and without much effort, a company could rise to the top. Over the years competition has increased, but our attention spans have decreased. Thus, the brilliance behind advertising using Instagram Stories. They’re easy to use, cheap, aesthetically pleasing, and a more casual way to help brands sell. Instead of saying, “buy my stuff,” Stories allow brands to say, “I’m your friend, come hangout with me in between videos of your neighbor’s cat and selfies of your best friend’s new haircut.” Through the natural flow of this interaction, advertising is integrated into the user’s life without them really realizing.

So keep scrolling and liking. Advertisers are ready for you to go on a “break.”

Read more about the new Image Factory here.