Hi and welcome to this weekly edition of Insider Advertising, where I break down the big stories in media and advertising.
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This week: What Instagram is whispering to creators, Discovery joins the streaming wars, and Estée Lauder pivots in the pandemic.
The logo of the Instagram app on a smartphone. Photothek/Getty Images
Tech platforms wield enormous influence on business and society but the algorithms that power them are a black box to all but a few.
So that's why it was fascinating to see what Instagram told certain creators about how they could grow their followings on the platform, as Sydney Bradley reported.
Key points:
Some creators said while they were glad to get specific tips from Instagram, the posting volume that was recommended was unrealistically high.
The advice also shows how much Facebook-owned Instagram is pushing Reels, the feature it rolled out in August and which has been widely seen as an attempt to knock off the wildly popular TikTok app.
Reels, you'll recall, launched to a mixed reception, and The Wall Street Journal had reported earlier that Instagram has been dangling cash before high-profile TikTok creators to try to lure them to use the new feature.
Streaming media has exploded as people ditch their cable bundles and more recently, are forced by the pandemic to seek out in-home entertainment.
But if it already feels like there are too many services to choose from, we're about to get more.
Discovery Plus is the first new streamer to launch in 2021. And while it doesn't boast the originals Netflix has, if wildlife documentaries and cooking shows are your thing, it's a relative deal at $4.99 for a subscription with ads, compared to Netflix starting at $8.99.
Speaking of Netflix, the streamer just released viewing numbers for its new "Bridgerton" series, showing it's on track to be its fifth biggest original series ever (and a win for creator Shonda Rhimes).
Estée Lauder logo seen in Hong Kong. Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Estée Lauder's pandemic pivot
Getting a handle on consumer sentiment is critical for makeup companies, which have seen a sales dip in the pandemic. But the same conditions have made doing in-person research safely near impossible.
Estée Lauder described how it's pivoted to virtual research methods, like getting people to send them videos talking about how they use makeup.
It's found some opportunity: There's demand among people who use videoconferencing platforms for work and frontline workers who want to treat themselves with things like mini spa days and new products like sheet masks.
