Mercedes-Benz, Target and Air Canada are some of the top brands teaming up with Instagram to bring sponsored advertisements to Canadian consumers after the social media application rolled out in-stream advertisements in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

Instagram is seeking to cement itself as a sustainable business in social media, leading it to expand its advertising reach to Canadian users, effective immediately. The ads are developed to be seamlessly interspersed within the other photos and videos in the Instagram experience.

?One of the consistent themes we hear from advertisers is that they are looking for compelling ways to tell their stories and invite consumers to engage with their brand,? said Kevin Canty, vice president of Sales East at Kargo, New York.  ?Imagery and visuals have emerged as best way to do this within ad campaigns - particularly in mobile, which is only scratching the surface as a brand advertising canvas.

?These types of executions are smart investments, as we at Kargo have seen much success with mobile ad units that incorporate photos - and Instagram in particular."

Promotional opportunities
While Instagram aims to keep the number of sponsored posts in comparison to friends? posts low, many brands have established significantly large followings on the social media mobile application. Consumers that follow these marketers have essentially volunteered to see promotional material, which gives it extra weight.

Air Canada has over 24,000 followers on its Instagram profile, while Travel Alberta has over 92,000.

?Social media platforms are always going to be fertile ground for marketers as long as they deliver the right audience and appropriate scale,? Mr. Canty said. ?The benefit of these emerging tools and platforms is that they are giving birth to creative integrated opportunities for brand advertisers.

?However, marketers need to be cautious not to throw good money into something just because it's novel and en vogue. Each of these platforms deliver nuanced audiences that might not necessarily match with the brands objectives or values.?

Effective advertising
A primary reason for marketers investing advertising dollars into Instagram is the ability to mistake a sponsored post for a friend?s post. Instagram believes that this makes advertising more effective, thanks to subliminal messaging.

Users also appear to retain more information from advertisements on social media due to the frequency of their visits to the apps or sites. However, Instagram is also giving users the option to hide sponsored posts by tapping the three dots icon in the bottom right of the photo and choosing the appropriate action.

Both Instagram and its advertisers are confident that most consumers will respond well to the rollout of select sponsored ads. For brands that have larger followings, advertising on social media is paramount to their mobile strategies.

?It's impossible to ignore the consumer shift to mobile, and we're encouraged to see more and more brands making mobile a bigger piece of their digital plans,? Mr. Canty said. ?Social is Mobile and while integrated approaches are not to be discounted, mobile is coming into its own as being a creative canvas for brand advertising.

?As that progress continues, mobile will likely carve out a more substantial piece of the advertising pie.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York