Instagram today confirmed ads are coming to the social network “in the next couple of months.” The service will start by serving advertising in the US, but the company wouldn’t detail when to expect the same treatment in other countries.
Just like its parent company Facebook, Instagram is well-aware that users don’t like ads, so it will “start slow.” The company notes users can expect “beautiful” and “high-quality” photos and videos from brands they don’t follow but that “are already great members of the Instagram community.”
Instagram’s promise is that the overall experience won’t be ruined:
Our aim is to make any advertisements you see feel as natural to Instagram as the photos and videos many of you already enjoy from your favorite brands. After all, our team doesn’t just build Instagram, we use it each and every day. We want these ads to be enjoyable and creative in much the same way you see engaging, high-quality ads when you flip through your favorite magazine.
As always, you own your own photos and videos. The introduction of advertising won’t change this.
Instagram users will have “control” but that doesn’t mean they will be able to turn off advertising. If you see an ad you don’t like, you’ll be able to hide it and provide feedback about what didn’t feel right (just like on Facebook).
Back in July, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that ads were coming to Instagram. Reports and rumors continued to speculate on the details through last month.
The timing of the announcement is very interesting. Just last week, Facebook announced it is tweaking its News Feed ads algorithm to consider user feedback, including what users report or hide. We can assume Instagram will be using similar processes.
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See also – Facebook doesn’t need ads to monetize Instagram and Instagram rolls back advertising section of Terms of Service to original, in place since 2010
Top Image Credit: Thomas Coes/Getty Images
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