Instagram launches 30-second video ads, will start pushing ads globally on September 30

Instagram is expanding its advertising game globally and launching a couple of new capabilities for businesses to take advantage of. The company revealed in a blog post that advertisers can now create video ads of up to 30 seconds, leverage a new premium ad unit that benefits new product launches, and much more. And starting September 30, Instagram Ads will be open to everyone around the world.

Ads started to appear on the popular photo-sharing social network nearly two years ago, starting with fashion designer brand Michael Kors. And since that time, Instagram has made efforts to ensure that it is protecting the consumer experience — or at least this is what Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg remarked during the company’s second quarter earnings call.

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Different types of ads have appeared, including carousel and video-based. No one has seemed to complain about them interfering with the user experience. Until now, Instagram has managed who has had access to advertise on the social network, but the floodgates will soon be knocked down. Starting this month, the company says that “advertisers both large and small” will be able to run campaigns on the service. Ads are also available in more than 30 new countries, including Italy, Spain, Mexico, India, and South Korea and changes will go worldwide in just a few weeks.

By that time, advertisers will be able to take advantage of new capabilities, including longer video ads. Before they were limited to just 15 seconds, but now ads can be twice as long — the length of an average television commercial — so brands should be able to adequately tell their story.

In addition, there’s a new ad type that Instagram calls Marquee. It’s a premium unit that should “help drive mass awareness and expanded reach in a short time-frame.” This particular ad type is available in image, video, carousel, image link, and video link format. From what we’re told, it’s designed to be “high visibility, single-day campaigns” that have multiple pieces of creative to help build awareness. Instagram says marquees are perfect for movie premieres and new product launches.

Some other updates Instagram is making available to advertisers include support for landscape photos and videos to give ads a more cinematic feel. Landscape media was recently made available to consumers as well, when the service suddenly shifted away from its iconic square format. Also, new delivery and optimization tools will be available for brands looking to enhance their campaigns.

Instagram is definitely touting the success of its Ads program, saying that it has helped to generate “strong branding results.” In fact, 97 percent of the campaigns measured by the company have generated “significant lifts in ad recall.”

So advertisers, get ready to divert some of your marketing dollars to Instagram because soon the doors will fly open and everyone will be able to peddle their wares on the popular social platform.