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Rimmel Cadbury Waitrose

Channel 4, Rimmel, Waitrose and Cadbury among first to use Instagram sponsored ads in the UK

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By Ishbel Macleod | PR and social media consultant

September 23, 2014 | 3 min read

Starbucks, Cadbury, Estee Lauder, Waitrose, Channel 4 and Rimmel are the brands introducing sponsored Instagram posts in the UK.

The new sponsored posts will roll out from today (23 September) where users will initially only see one ad a day. All six brands have worked with Omnicom agencies to create the sponsored posts.

Philippa Brown, CEO of Omnicom Media Group UK, said: “As a forward looking organisation with a focus on creativity, Omnicom Media Group UK is proud to be the first mover agency as Instagram launches its advertising offer in our market, and we’re looking forward to helping our clients optimise the creative and strategic opportunities that this new form of brand storytelling delivers.”

Creative from Rimmel has already been revealed (see above).

Sarah Davies, UK marketing manager, Rimmel London, said: “Rimmel London and Instagram share a similar ambition to inspire and enable people to express themselves through creativity. Therefore, we have always looked to innovate and test on Instagram. This campaign is a natural evolution of our commitment to our communities and customers in social media, for which we are truly passionate about.”

According to Instagram, the site will aim to push ‘a seamless experience’ through the creation of the posts, with the brands that have been chosen to start the sponsored products in the UK all members of the Instagram community.

Rupert Ellwood, head of marketing communications at Waitrose, told The Drum: “We know our customers enjoy sharing their love of food and Instagram, where people capture and share moments, is the perfect place for us to engage the community around our shared love of food using the hashtag #LoveFood”

Channel 4's head of marketing, James Walker, added: “Instagram is a fast growing platform with a reputation for beautiful imagery and storytelling - it’s a perfect partner for Channel 4 and we’re excited that some of our biggest programme brands will be part of the UK trial.”

The sponsored ad product has already rolled out in the US, where it included sponsored photos and videos that appeared in the main feed, clearly marked with a sponsored label, apart from that however, they looked similar to other photos and videos users saw in their feed.

In the bottom right hand corner of each sponsored post, users were be able to press ‘...’ to hide the content as well as being able to provide comments on what they didn’t like about it.

The Drum understands that Instagram is currently working in-house on the creation of insight tools for the advertisers, having realised that the different partners from different verticals may require different types of measurements.

Following the roll out of ads in the UK, Instagram will then launch sponsored posts in Australia and Canada in the coming weeks.

Rimmel Cadbury Waitrose

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A global leader in marketing communications, Omnicom provides brand and advertising services to over 5000 clients in over 100 countries.

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