SURVIVAL OF THE LITTEST

It’s a mundane Monday morning. Your alarm jolts you awake, you look at the time and, ugh, it’s 7:00 am. Your fingers mindlessly wander over to Instagram. Sound familiar? Of course. I know, I know, you’ve read countless articles about dopamine dependence and how you’re better off starting your day doing something, anything, other than looking at your phone. But let’s be real. You and I, we’re both guilty of it. It is the right bite-sized escape on any given day, be it a stressful workday or when you’re weekend chilling. It has become synonymous with Entertainment Central – from trending memes, a thousand renditions of the same meme, creators with a funny bone cleverly tricking you into watching their non-ad ads – or whether it be the rise of cringe content and its new claim to fame (aha, yes, we all love giving ourselves the ick. No one’s judging) – the point is there is a plethora of scroll-stoppers for every single niche or mass that you’re into. Be it the unhinged, absurd, plain, crass or class, humor or gloom-er – Instagram’s got it all. The allure is super strong – it can even get addictive to the point where people are either deleting the app or setting time limits.?

Instagram’s hook & engage game is top-notch – it seemingly pulls you into a wormhole when you least expect it and has you humming songs that you wouldn’t be caught dead listening to otherwise – and we have the algorithm to blame. Speaking of algorithms, here’s a little secret I will let you in on – they know you. Like, really know you. They’re practically mind readers, aware of your deepest darkest thoughts and current obsessions. Nope, I’m obviously kidding. But isn’t it uncanny how sometimes (all the time ??) the algorithm catches on to the kind of content you actually want to consume? And speaking from a creator/brand POV, it can be quite ruthless – basically, you slay, you stay, or you will quite literally be slayed off feeds??. And we love how brands have been showing up for the new age show-biz a.k.a Instagram.

Which begs the question, is there a formula of sorts as to why a brand pops on Instagram and most others cannot seem to do the same?

The answer is maybe, maybe not, but let’s dive into some learnings from other brands killing it.

?? UNLEASH YOUR NICHE

Some brands make it out of the box occasionally, while some others refuse to be boxed to begin with. A way to really stand out as a brand and make yourself followable is to carve your own niche. Take Liquid Death, for example: they have broken all rules with their satirical take on marketing conventions while simultaneously making the ‘Rock Star’ life accessible without all the baggage. Zombies, Ozzy Osbourne, murder – some of their popular content hooks just to sell water. Now, another brand on the other end of the spectrum is Duo Lingo – They have owned and honed the Kawaii-with-a-tinge-of-unhinge space for the longest. Whether it’s the Duo owl blatantly stalk- (coughs) crushing on Dua Lipa or taking over a kitchen in ‘The Bear’ style.?

THE TAKEAWAY: Be the ‘Nouveau Niche’ and hone a space on Instagram.

?? THE HOTTEST TAKE – TAKES THE WIN

Another way to seize the spotlight as a brand is to capitalize on what’s trending – memes, cultural moments, events – have your own take and make it sizzle while you are at it. Now, last year we had the Barbie & girlification trend takeover – where almost all brands had a say. This year things took a complete 180o with the full-blown Brat Summer (move over Barbie-core). It only started out as a music marketing gimmick, which then exploded into a zeitgeist of sorts, with even the US presidential candidate owning it as a way to be relatable (Really, Kamala?!).

This just goes to show that being relatable to the audience and their interests indicates you care and getting down to their level goes a long way in keeping those engagement rates high. Throwing in a trending audio (finance 6’5 blue eyes…) or having Pedro the raccoon do a cameo on the feed can also do you wonders. Now, this one’s a bit tricky, but if your brand tonality borders more on the anti-trend take – go for it by all means!

THE TAKEAWAY: Relatability gets high on engagement.

?? WHATEVER YOU DO – BE OF VALUE

Now, the audience love a good hack, a good laugh, or a good whack (if they really need it). Giving back something to the audience, be it education, humor, or styling – whatever be your brand strength, will always make you an instant hit. Brands like Ryan Air have captivated the mile-high humor club with their witty & sassy takes on being a (miserable) Ryan Air customer, ultimately taking a joke on their own brand. Even if your brand’s tonality is twice removed from humor, it’s all about the packaging of content. As your entertainment index rises, so does the loyalty of your followers.

THE TAKEAWAY: Entertaining = winning (on Instagram).

?? CREATORS, CREATORS & CREATORS

A fashion brand roping in a fashion creator is predictable. While a tech brand collaborating with a tech reviewer is again – boring, predictable, and super ordinary. Creator collabs need range – you can go as lateral as you want because the more unpredictable it is, the more noise it makes. Gucci x North Face collection launch was done in collaboration with Francis Bourgeois – a Trainspotting TikToker who has a good chunk of followers but his content has nothing to do with fashion. While Loro Piana, a quiet high luxury brand, did a collab with Gstaad Guy – who is known for his parody takes on the luxury life. Collabs that don’t make sense – end up making the most sense because the crossover finds an already engaged audience to pay attention to your brand??.

THE TAKEAWAY: Be smart and spend on creators who are a lateral brand fit.

It’s clear that Instagram is cleverly designed and updated to make an audience scroll forever. But the important question is - Are you ready to get on the brandwagon and make the cut?

That's it! Signing off till we meet again. Happy Scrolling!

Junior Creative Strategist

Kavya Rose