Instagram increases video ads to 60 seconds, though you’re stuck with 15

The introduction of 60 second video ads sees Instagram further positioning itself as an alternative to television advertising, with ads now available in every market where Facebook ads are, and formats like Marquee ads enabling brands to own a moment with a huge ad blitz.

T-Mobile became the first advertiser to run a 60-second ad on Instagram Wednesday, running a longer treatment of its wry Super Bowl ad featuring rapper Drake coping with the fine print in cellular contracts.

T-Mobile was one of the first firms to take advantage of the longer adverts, posting an extended version of its 30-second Super Bowl advert starring Drake to its official account on 3 February.

Move over, 15-second Instagram videos. In order to encourage advertisers to adopt their platform, the multimedia sharing application is allowing them to publish 1-minute clips in landscape mode, which is the same format as ads shot for TV. Instagram users are still limited to 15 seconds for non-paid posts on the social network. Instagram and social media in general (and even the internet) are not exactly created to encourage long attention spans.

Facebook has long said that its targeting and metrics make its video ads, including on Instagram, superior to broadcast TV advertising.

Various platforms like Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat and YouTube are experimenting with video ads to determine the best way to deliver returns for advertisers while minimising the impact on user experience.