Instagram moves on search amid AI buzz | WARC | The Feed

Instagram moves on search amid AI buzz

Meta-owned Instagram is adding new search and ‘reminder’ advertising features, as the social network seeks to capitalise on a trend toward more image-based search.

Why it matters

Meta needs to boost ad demand, and this news suggests that there remain more opportunities than the relatively abstract AI conversation. It’s not a sexy feature, but it’s a solid bet.

But it’s a surprisingly late development, given the trend last autumn of Google adapting its search experience to better compete with TikTok and Instagram. The pair hoovered up around 40% of searches by young people, but not necessarily the ad spend that would follow those searches.

What’s happening

According to an announcement, Instagram is now testing two new ad formats:

• Ads in search results: sponsored posts will feature alongside organic posts against product or category searches.
• Reminder ads: creators or brands can give the option for users to set a reminder for events or promotions.

The state of search

Although global search spend has slowed since the end of the year, according to WARC Media, the market is forecast to surpass its Q4 2022 peak by the end of 2023, a stretch of growth that Instagram will target.

Sourced from Meta, WARC