Chapter 4: Advertising Elements Research Model & Analysis of Post & Story Ads
Instagram as a rhetorical context creates an environment which requires advertisers to adapt traditional advertising elements in Instagram ads. Context-specific engagement and ad-context congruity demonstrate that native, targeted advertising content on Instagram must account for Instagram-specific user behavior and engagement mechanisms, visual presentation, and user-generated content. This influence is seen in the advertising elements which remain vital to Instagram Post and Story ads (such as visual representation of a product, headlines, copy, and response devices) and those which have become obsolete (such as sharing the price of a product).
Chapter 4 will examine Instagram Post and Story ads to understand precisely how advertising elements are currently being adapted for Instagram as a rhetorical context. First, it will define a research model of 10 traditional advertising elements. Second, it will set forth research questions to analyze how Instagram’s Post and Story interfaces and ad engagement mechanisms have influenced those advertising elements. Third, it will analyze 10 Instagram Post ads and 10 Instagram Story ads to understand the current usage of traditional advertising elements in these ads. Finally, it will summarize findings that answer the research questions.
Research Questions
To understand how Instagram as a rhetorical context has influenced the usage of traditional advertising elements, this study used a research model composed of Joseph Sugarman’s 10 advertising elements from The Adweek Copywriting Handbook to analyze 20 Instagram ads (10 Post ads and 10 Story ads). These ads were examined to determine if and how these advertising elements (headline, subheadline, photo or drawing, caption, copy, paragraph headings, logo, price, response device, overall layout) were present in Instagram ads at the time of this study. From this, the following research questions were asked and answered:
- What traditional advertising elements are still in use in Instagram ads?
- What traditional advertising elements are being removed from Instagram ads?
- What traditional advertising elements are being innovated upon in the rhetorical context of Instagram?
To answer the research questions, Instagram Post and Story ads were coded and analyzed for traditional advertising elements to see which were present, which were absent, and which adopted new forms to fit the mold of Instagram’s rhetorical context.
From this, findings reveal that Instagram Post ads are heavily influenced by the structured format of Instagram Posts which consist of a visual portion and caption portion. Instagram’s rhetorical context contains engaging photos and videos which influences the type of media used to demonstrate and sell products. The following usage of the term “visual media” is an adaptation of Sugarman’s traditional “photo or drawing” advertising element, which has been expanded to account for the images, graphics, photos, and videos utilized by D2C advertisers in the visual section of the Post ad. In Post ads, headlines and response devices are frequently found to be merged as one element within the visual media portion of the ad. Advertising elements that were reduced in usage but still found in a fraction of Post ad visuals were subheadlines and logos. These elements were included as a part of a “designed” ad—a demonstration of a tacit understanding on behalf of advertisers that engaging user/consumers via Instagram visuals is crucial. However, not all advertisers utilized “designed” ads for their visuals, brands like Cheeky, Olive and June, and Glossier simply included a product image with an Instagram caption/copy as their ad.
In conjunction with the confined visual space, the dedicated caption section for text in Instagram Posts pushed advertisers to move copy down below the visual portion of the ad. This enables advertisers to further elaborate on the headline/response device/visuals featured above. Accordingly, captions were adapted from their traditional definition as provided by Sugarman and functioned doubly as copy. Further analysis also revealed that paragraph headings were not found in the traditional sense, but Function of Beauty demonstrated an innovative use of emojis which broke up larger sections of text. Price was completely eliminated from Post ads.
Analysis of Instagram Story ads demonstrated how Instagram as a rhetorical context has also influenced traditional advertising elements within Story ads. Conversely from Posts, Stories are full-screen experiences, which means the entire ad is captured within a visual container. Consequently, more screen space equaled more usage of advertising elements—but only if advertisers specifically designed an ad for Instagram Stories. When brands used this type of ad creative, they produced a more structured ad experience. These “designed” Instagram Story ads were more likely to feature a mixture of logos, headlines, visual media, copy, and response devices—and to a lesser extent: subheadlines and captions. Paragraph headings were not used in any Story ads.
Brands which did not use a “designed” ad were limited in their usage of advertising elements via Instagram’s ad platform—through which advertisers upload their visual media and copy. These ads did not contain other advertising elements like headlines, subheadlines, captions, response devices, or logos. To be clear, Instagram’s ad platform is not intended to function for ad creation and design. However, for advertisers to fit “visually” within the rhetorical context of Instagram Stories and user-generated content (which, ironically, as noted in Chapter 2, does offer users a wide variety of visual and textual design options), the use of designed ads is a derivative of Instagram’s rhetorical context. In both Post and Story ads price was completely eliminated as an advertising element.
These findings reveal how specific conditions within Instagram to curate a rhetorical context for user/consumers also influences usage of traditional advertising elements to target those user/consumers. Brands can leverage these findings to adopt and test best practices (presented in Chapter 5) for Instagram ad campaigns. Additionally, Chapter 5 will also present a revised model of advertising elements along with updated definitions based on how they are currently being used in Post and Story ads.
Research Model
While there are a variety of methods to breakdown individual components of advertisements, this study analyzed Instagram ads according to the 10 traditional advertising elements as defined by Joseph Sugarman in The Adweek Copywriting Handbook (28-29).
| Advertising Element | Definition |
|---|---|
| Headline | To get your attention and draw you to the subheadline. |
| Subheadline | To give you more information and further explain the attention-getting headline. |
| Photo or Drawing | To get your attention and to illustrate the product more fully. |
| Caption | To describe the photo or drawing. This is an important element and one that is often read. |
| Copy | To convey the main selling message for your product or service. |
| Paragraph Headings | To break up the copy into chunks, thereby making the copy look less imposing. |
| Logo | To display the name of the company selling the product. |
| Price | To let the reader know what the product or service costs. The price could be in large type or could be buried in the copy. |
| Response Device | To give the reader a way to respond to the ad, by using the coupon, toll-free number, or ordering information, usually near the end of the ad. |
| Overall Layout | To provide the overall appearance for the ad, by using effective graphic design for the other elements. |
This model was chosen because it delineated concrete terms and definitions for advertising elements (versus other formulas or models where the terminology is more subjective and conceptual). Ads were analyzed according to the above labels and definitions to understand what changes traditional advertising elements have undergone as a result of Instagram’s rhetorical context.
Instagram Ad Selection
This study examined 20 Instagram ads consisting of 10 Post ads and 10 Story ads from direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands. A D2C brand is a company that can sell its product directly to its consumers via its website (versus a third-party retailer, like Amazon or Wal-Mart, for example). These ads were collected at random intervals over a period of four months from August 2020 to October 2020 via screenshot by the researcher while using Instagram. The “at random” collection of these ads is constrained due to the targeted nature of Instagram ads, as noted in Chapter 3. To be clear—these ads are targeted ads for the researcher. However, in effort to “randomize” or diversify the different ad sets, brands that retargeted the researcher using both Post and Story ads were analyzed for only one type of ad (i.e., if a brand was chosen as a Post ad to be analyzed, it was not chosen as a Story ad to be analyzed).
Thus, for an ad to be selected, the brand had to be D2C and only represented in one ad category. For Post ads, the following D2C brands were selected: Bones Coffee, Cheeky, Thrive Causemetics, Thinx, Olive and June, Kiehl’s, Kate Spade NY, Moo, Function of Beauty, and Glossier (see Appendix D). For Story ads, the following D2C brands were selected: Native, Banana Republic, Hello Fresh, Spanx, Ink + Volt, Brooklinen, Schick, Liquid I.V., MeUndies, and Hatch (see Appendix E).
Post Ad Analysis
In Instagram as a rhetorical context, a user scrolling through their Feed sees user-generated content and sponsored Posts. Sponsored Posts (or “Post ads”) are denoted with a “Sponsored” label under their username and with a highlighted banner that appears at the bottom of the visual media section and above the caption. This banner typically features a two-word call-to-action (CTA)—such as “Shop Now”—and redirects users who tap it to a designated landing page. CTA options are prescribed by Instagram, so advertisers must choose from a list of pre-designated CTAs and are not able to create customized CTAs. This banner is the only way in which Posts can utilize external linking on Instagram.
Advertisers have two major spaces to include advertising elements in Post ads: the visual portion (i.e., an image, video, or mixture of both) and a dedicated caption space for text. As the user scrolls through their feed, they first see the Post’s visual media and then 2-3 lines of caption. If the caption is longer, this is signaled by a tappable “…more” mechanism. When the user taps “…more” they can see the caption in its entirety. The user’s profile picture and username also appear above the visual media, and the username reappears next to the caption (see Appendix B).
Headline
To get your attention and draw you to the subheadline (Sugarman 28).
| Brand | Headline |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | 20% OFF WITH CODE BONES20 |
| Cheeky | No |
| Thrive Causemetics | 20% OFF (x3) YOUR FIRST PURCHASE |
| Thinx | ditch disposables |
| Olive and June | No |
| Kiehl’s | Kiehl’s Welcomes You! 25% OFF MOISTURIZERS |
| Kate Spade NY | Enjoy up to 75% off everything |
| Moo | No |
| Function of Beauty | $20 OFF |
| Glossier | No |
Because Instagram’s rhetorical context contains a scrollable Feed and visually prominent posts, headlines were found in the visual media section of the Post ad. Headlines had to stand out in the image and attract users scrolling through other user-generated and ad content. To do this, many headlines featured a response device of a promotion code or discount offer (i.e., “Enjoy up to 75% off everything” as found in Kiehl’s Post ad). However, this was not always the case as demonstrated by Thinx, which utilized a CTA in their image of “ditch disposables”.
In the analysis of Post ads, 6 ads used a headline (Bones Coffee, Thrive Causemetics, Thinx, Kiehl’s, Kate Spade NY, Function of Beauty) and 4 ads did not (Cheeky, Olive and June, Moo, Glossier). In ads where a headline was present, 5 ads featured some type of promotional code (i.e., “20% OFF WITH CODE BONES20”) or discount offer (i.e., “$20 OFF”) to attract readers (Bones Coffee, Thrive Causemetics, Kiehl’s, Kate Spade NY, Function of Beauty). One ad used a CTA (i.e., “ditch disposables”) to grab the reader’s attention (Thinx). Additionally, 4 of the ads displayed their headline over a product-related image (Bones Coffee, Kiehl’s, Thinx, Function of Beauty); 2 ads featured a “text-only” image where the headline was the focal point (Kate Spade NY, Thrive Causemetics). As noted earlier, these headlines appear in a designed ad created specifically for Instagram with the intent to include a headline/response device. From this, one can draw conclusions that these advertisers understand that using headlines as a method to attract user/consumers is beneficial revenue-wise within the rhetorical context of Instagram.
Of the Post ads that did not use a headline, all 4 ads featured a photo of the product (Cheeky, Olive and June, Moo, Glossier). No other text was featured on the visual portion of these ads, with the exception of Cheeky and Moo who incorporated the brand logo into their respective ad images.
Subheadline
To give you more information and further explain the attention-getting headline (Sugarman 28).
| Brand | Subheadline |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | No |
| Cheeky | No |
| Thrive Causemetics | No |
| Thinx | No |
| Olive and June | No |
| Kiehl’s | ALL PURCHASES IN-STORE & ONLINE / Ends 8/3 |
| Kate Spade NY | No |
| Moo | No |
| Function of Beauty | No |
| Glossier | No |
As space is limited for text within the visual portion of Post ads, Instagram as a rhetorical context nearly eliminates the need for subheadlines as an advertising element. The presence of a singular subheadline within this collection of ads indicates advertisers wondering how best to optimize their visual ad space can eliminate crafting a subheadline in favor of focusing on an enticing headline.
In the analysis of Post ads, the only ad to feature a subheadline was Kiehl’s, who included additional information about the headline offer (“ALL PURCHASES IN-STORE & ONLINE / Ends 8/3”). This usage of a subheadline in Kiehl’s visual media demonstrates a highly orchestrated ad experience, but also could be eliminated due to their reiteration of the discount offer in the caption/copy section of the ad. As subheadlines were nearly obsolete in this collection of ads, this indicates that a headline’s primary function is no longer to direct readers to the subheadline, as defined by Sugarman. Instead, headlines—when present—are meant to direct readers to the caption section of the Post ad.
As noted in the “headline” section, headlines tended to the primary form of text in the visual portion of the ad. Of the Post ads that did not use a subheadline, 7 ads featured a photo of the product (Bones Coffee, Cheeky, Thinx, Olive and June, Moo, Function of Beauty, Glossier) and 2 ads featured a “text-only” image where the headline was the focal point (Kate Spade NY, Thrive Causemetics). Therefore, while headlines (and subheadlines to a lesser extent) can be used as a method to attract user/consumers, visual representation of the product still remained the priority for the visual portion of the Post ad.
Photo or Drawing
To get your attention and to illustrate the product more fully (Sugarman 28).
| Brand | Photo or Drawing |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | Yes, product |
| Cheeky | Yes, product |
| Thrive Causemetics | Text-only graphic |
| Thinx | Yes, person wearing product |
| Olive and June | Yes, person wearing product |
| Kiehl’s | Yes, product |
| Kate Spade NY | Text-only graphic |
| Moo | Yes, product |
| Function of Beauty | Yes, product |
| Glossier | Yes, product |
As noted earlier, Instagram is a photo- and video-sharing platform. Visual design and representation is cornerstone to user-generated content in Instagram to increase engagement and interaction. Accordingly, the “photo or drawing” advertising element remains prominent in the rhetorical context of Instagram. However, the concept of a “photo or drawing” has expanded “visual media” to account for the variety of visuals used via Instagram post content—such as designs, images, videos, and other graphic elements.
Moreover, visual media is a required portion of Instagram Posts and Post ads. Accordingly, emphasis on visuals on Instagram underscores the importance of visual media in Post ads. For this analysis, visual media was categorized according the type:
- “Product” images featured the product prominently displayed
- “Person wearing/using product” image featured the product on a person wearing or utilizing it
- “Text-only” graphic which featured no product-related visuals and only a headline/response device
Six ads featured a “product” image (Bones Coffee, Cheeky, Kiehl’s, Moo, Function of Beauty, Glossier). Two ads featured a person wearing their product (Olive and June, Thinx). These product displays were prominent in the visual and meant to illustrate the product more fully, as Sugarman’s definition suggests. However, the usage of “text-only” graphics in ads like Kate Spade NY and Thrive Causemetics innovates on Sugarman’s traditional definition of the purpose of visual media as a way to illustrate the product more fully. Both Kate Spade NY and Thrive Causemetics used plain-color backgrounds and text to offer discounts via a headline/response device.
These findings suggest that product-related visual media is still critical as an advertising component in Instagram Post ads. However, if desired, advertisers can A/B test text-only graphics featuring a headline/response device vs. a product-related image with a headline/response device to accurately assess what of visual Post media functions best for their brand.
Caption
To describe the photo or drawing. This is an important element and one that is often read (Sugarman 28).
| Brand | Caption |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | Yes |
| Cheeky | Yes |
| Thrive Causemetics | Yes |
| Thinx | Yes |
| Olive and June | Yes |
| Kiehl’s | Yes |
| Kate Spade NY | Yes |
| Moo | Yes |
| Function of Beauty | Yes |
| Glossier | Yes |
Within the rhetorical context of Instagram, every Post can be accompanied by a caption that utilizes text and/or emojis. This caption appears below the visual portion of the Post but can be instrumental for advertisers to expand upon any text, headline, or visual media featured in the visual portion. Accordingly, Instagram’s caption space has resulted in creating an increasingly important (and adapted) advertising element. As visual space is limited for text, advertisers who used headlines in their visuals—and those who didn’t—heavily relied on the caption space to deliver their main-selling message (i.e., copy).
In the analysis of Post ads, all 10 used the caption feature. Instagram Post captions only display the first 2-3 lines of text; as a result, the Post ad captions tended to be relatively short. Nine of the ad captions were under 25 words in length, with 18 words being the average (Bones Coffee, Cheeky, Thrive Causemetics, Thinx, Olive and June, Kiehl’s, Kate Spade NY, Moo, Glossier). One ad caption featured 117 words in the caption, which was split into four individual customer reviews separated by star emojis (Function of Beauty). Emojis were also used in 2 other ads (Bones Coffee and Thrive Causemetics).
This adaption of the caption space to include copy sheds insight on how Instagram has modified the usage of captions. Sugarman’s original definition of caption “to describe the photo or drawing” and “an important element and one that is often read” remains true. However, captions are not only regulated to describing visual media, it also serves as a vessel for all copy—including product information, customer reviews, and response devices like promotion codes and discount offers (expanded more upon in the “Copy” section). Additionally, in Instagram Post ads, captions are an essential element—not just important. Captions provide advertisers the textual space they need to expound upon their product, visual media, and offers as needed. Further, the usage of emojis offers advertisers the chance to experiment with how emojis can benefit (or hinder) the performance of their ad. Lengths of caption (as well as emoji usage) can be tested by advertisers to assess what type of caption best serves their brand.
Copy
To convey the main selling message for your product or service (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Copy |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | Coffee time – all the time. [emoji]. Enjoy 20% OFF on us when you use the code BONES20 at checkout. |
| Cheeky | Quality night guards without the hassle of a trip to the dentist. |
| Thrive Causemetics | What’s that? We’re offering 20% off our vegan + cruelty-free beauty products. As if you needed another excuse to buy. [emoji] |
| Thinx | Thinx are reusable, washer-friendly period underwear—putting you one step closer to a zero-waste menstrual cycle. |
| Olive and June | Right now we have 4 of our shades of grey. Maybe by next year we’ll have 50? |
| Kiehl’s | Take 25% off bestselling Kiehl’s moisturizers & any purchase & in-store! Limited time only. Code ENJOY25. Ends 8/3 |
| Kate Spade NY | too good to miss…we’re giving you up to 75% off everything + free shipping on all orders to the u.s. & canada. shop now. |
| Moo | From the lay-flat binding to the luxury paper, our hardcover notebook is full of great ideas—even before you add your own. |
| Function of Beauty | “This is my HOLY GRAIL. I have fine, flat, and oily hair, all which I addressed as part of my hair goals. I wanted to have more volume, length, and less oil and let me tell you – this formula hit every single one of my goals! Not to mention, I chose the pear scent which made it even more AMAZING! Super happy to have found this shampoo and conditioner!” – Jordyn [emoji] “Literally changed my hair overnight” – Christina [emoji] “I will never go back to drug store shampoo or conditioner EVER AGAIN!! My hair FEELS, LOOKS, AND SMELLS AMAZING!!” – Natalie [emoji] “Best shampoo I have ever used. Flakes are gone. Hair is soft and bouncy. And the smell is heaven.” – Dani |
| Glossier | What you get with The Eye Color Set: a wash of matte color, defined eyes, and long lashes in just three steps. |
Because visual media is a key component of Instagram’s rhetorical context, copy must be used strategically to provide context around any advertising elements found in the visual portion of the Post ad (like a product image or a headline). Accordingly, all 10 ads used the dedicated caption space described above to insert their copy.
In the analysis of Post ads, 3 overarching copy themes emerged: customer reviews, product information, or a promotion code/discount offer. Customer reviews were found in 1 ad (Function of Beauty); additional product-related information was found in 5 ads (Cheeky, Thinx, Olive and June, Moo, Glossier); and promotion codes or discount offers were found in 4 Post ads (Bones, Kiehl’s Thrive Causemetics, Kate Spade NY).
Product-related information expounded further on the product with a main-selling message to persuade the consumer to buy it. For example, Thinx aimed for a “zero-waste” menstrual cycle, Glossier promised longer lashes and defined eyes, Moo offered space for your great ideas, Cheeky saved you a trip to the dentist, and Olive and June flexed their grey polishes and literature-themed humor. To be clear, this does not mean that copy which featured customer reviews or a promotion code inherently excluded additional product-related information.
For example, Function of Beauty chose to use positive customer reviews as their main-selling message. This directly situates user-generated content into an ad, which can be beneficial for advertisers seeking to leverage ad-context congruity. Additionally, further product information that might also entice user/consumers can also be plucked from these customer reviews, such as how the product smells (“pear scent”) and benefits of using the product (“hair is soft and bouncy”). Interestingly, Function of Beauty was the only Post ad to use a promotion code/discount offer in their visual media (“$20 OFF”) but not reiterate it in their caption/copy.
However, the other 5 ads that used a promotion or discount-related copy in their caption also displayed this as a response device in their visual media. Bones, Kiehl’s Thrive Causemetics, Kate Spade NY all used copy related to giving a reader an incentive to respond to their ad such as a promotion code (Bones, Kiehl’s) or discount offer (Thrive Causemetics, Kate Spade NY).
Thus, how advertisers curate their copy strategy is correlated to the rhetorical context of Instagram. Headlines and visual media are designed to draw user/consumers down the caption, where copy such as what makes a product special, customer reviews, and promotion codes/discounts can be offered in effort to compel the user/consumer to click the ad’s banner.
Paragraph Headings
To break up the copy into chunks, thereby making the copy look less imposing (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Paragraph Headings |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | No |
| Cheeky | No |
| Thrive Causemetics | No |
| Thinx | No |
| Olive and June | No |
| Kiehl’s | No |
| Kate Spade NY | No |
| Moo | No |
| Function of Beauty | Yes, star emojis |
| Glossier | No |
Instagram provides little text formatting options in the caption—for either users or advertisers—where paragraph headings would traditionally appear. Additionally, as noted in the “Caption” section, copy tended to average 18 words so paragraph headings were not inherently needed. Accordingly, paragraph headings were all but eliminated from usage as an advertising element in Instagram Post ads and were not found in 90% of them (Bones Coffee, Cheeky, Thrive Causemetics, Thinx, Olive and June, Kiehl’s, Kate Spade NY, Moo, Glossier).
However, 1 ad used emojis in line with Sugarman’s definition of paragraph headings: to break the copy into chunks to make it look less imposing. Function of Beauty—which utilized four customer reviews as ad copy—used star emojis as line breaks to provide space between each review. Since Instagram offers little in the way of formatting for paragraph headings, this innovative use of emojis to divide large chunks of text into smaller, more digestible sections of copy suggests that should advertisers desire longer captions or copy, emojis can be a creative way to ensure the user/consumer does not find the copy imposing.
Logo
To display the name of the company selling the product (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Logo |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | No |
| Cheeky | Yes, displayed on product |
| Thrive Causemetics | Yes |
| Thinx | No |
| Olive and June | No |
| Kiehl’s | Yes, displayed on product |
| Kate Spade NY | No |
| Moo | Yes |
| Function of Beauty | No |
| Glossier | No |
As there is limited space for elements within the visual portion of Instagram Post ads—and the caption section can only be utilized for text or emojis—advertisers must carefully choose and discard advertising elements based on importance and relevance for their ad performance goals. Additionally, in Instagram, individual users are distinguished not only by their post content, but also their username and profile picture. D2C brands creating Instagram ads must also create a Business Profile to post ad content. Brands can include their name and logo as conditions of their username and profile picture. 9 out of 10 brands did use a logo image as their user profile picture, with the exception of Glosser, which used a plain pastel pink (their brand color) as their profile picture.
Accordingly, logo usage to ensure the brand name is displayed has decreased in prevalence as an advertising element in Instagram Post ads. However, it was not completed eliminated from usage. In analysis of Post ads, 4 ads featured a logo in their visual media and 6 ads did not. Of the four Post ads that used a logo, 3 ads—Moo, Cheeky, Kiehl’s—used a product-related image and 1 ad—Thrive Causemetics—used a text-only graphic.
Further, 2 Post ads featured the logo as a stand-alone element: Moo inserted their logo in the upper left-hand corner of the image, separate from the product displayed; and Thrive Causemetics centered their logo in the bottom portion of the ad, separate from the headline. Two Post ads incorporated the logo as part of the displayed product: Cheeky flashed their bright pink logo on top of featured retainer cases; and Kiehl’s displayed their name not only the four beauty products displayed, but also on a little airplane graphic included in their visual media.
Conditions of Instagram’s highly visual and branded rhetorical context adaption traditional components of logos (graphic and brand name) and incorporate them into their user profile pictures and names. Consequently, this has reduced the need for advertisers—if pressed for visual space—to include a logo as part of their designed ad image. Advertisers can run A/B tests to see whether ad images that feature a logo or not perform better to assess whether or not logos are necessary to their Post ads.
Price
To let the reader know what the product or service costs. The price could be in large type or could be buried in the copy (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Price |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | No |
| Cheeky | No |
| Thrive Causemetics | No |
| Thinx | No |
| Olive and June | No |
| Kiehl’s | No |
| Kate Spade NY | No |
| Moo | No |
| Function of Beauty | No |
| Glossier | No |
Because the rhetorical context of Instagram produces conditions where user/consumers converge in a social Feed that contains both user-generated content and ad content, it’s important for that ad content to appear thematically similar to adjacent content, as described by ad-context congruity. Since user-generated content does not typically feature prices or financial transactions, Post ads follow suit.
In the analysis of Post ads, there were no ads which featured a price. The elimination of price as an advertising element from stems from the confluence of two conditions of Instagram’s rhetorical context. First, as noted in the section “Ad-Context Congruity”, the blending of editorial content and ad content provides a better user/consumer experience when dealing with native, targeted ads in Instagram. Second, Post ads redirect to a designated landing page via a highlighted banner with a CTA across the bottom of the visual portion of the post. In analysis of the Post ads, 9 ads used “Shop Now” as its CTA (Bones Coffee, Cheeky, Thrive Causemetics, Thinx, Olive and June, Kiehl’s, Kate Spade NY, Moo, Glossier); and 1 ad used “Learn More” as its CTA (Function of Beauty).
User/consumers who are interested in further researching the product can tap the banner and be redirected to a product or pricing page to learn more information. Thus, the ability to link out to external landing pages where brands can control and manage the rest of buying experiencing for consumers, negates the need for price to feature in ads on Instagram.
Response Device
To give the reader a way to respond to the ad, by using the coupon, toll-free number, or ordering information, usually near the end of the ad (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Response Device |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | Promotion Code – 20% OFF WITH CODE BONES20 |
| Cheeky | No |
| Thrive Causemetics | Discount Offer – 20% OFF YOUR FIRST PURCHASE |
| Thinx | No |
| Olive and June | No |
| Kiehl’s | Promotion Code – Code ENJOY25 / 25%OFF |
| Kate Spade NY | Discount Offer – 75% OFF |
| Moo | No |
| Function of Beauty | Discount Offer – $20 OFF |
| Glossier | No |
As noted in Chapter 2, external linking in Instagram Posts are limited to Sponsored Posts. This creates a singular method of users to respond to Post ads—via the highlighted, hyperlinked Post banner which features a CTA. However, advertisers seeking to ensure their Post ad generates user/consumer engagement and response have adopted additional measures of incentivization as response devices. This incentivization typically appeared as a promotion code or discount offer.
In analysis of the Post ads, 5 of the Post ads featured an incentivized response device (Bones Coffee, Thrive Causemetics, Kiehl’s, Kate Spade NY, Function of Beauty). Of the ads that incorporated a response device, 3 ads utilized a discount offer (Thrive Causemetics, Kate Spade NY, Function of Beauty). Thrive Causemetics and Function of Beauty both offered $20 off their products; Kate Spade NY offered up to $75. Two ads utilized a specific promotion code (Bones Coffee, Kiehl’s). Bones Coffee offers 20% off with BONES20 and Kiehl’s offered 25% off with ENJOY25. Importantly, with promotion codes, brands ensured the code was easy to remember for the consumer.
As Instagram has designed a singular, simple method for user/consumers to respond to the ad (simply tapping on the linked banner), incentives as response devices are an additional strategy used by advertisers to entice user/consumers to their ad. Discount offers appeared to be slightly more favorable, as consumers would not have to remember a promotion code. Further, incentives tended to use the number “20” in their response device. Advertisers seeking to test additional methods of garnering user/consumer engagement and responses for their Instagram ad can test different response device (with different numerical amounts) to assess what performs better for their brand.
Overall Layout
To provide the overall appearance for the ad, by using effective graphic design for the other elements (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Overall Layout |
|---|---|
| Bones Coffee | Headline (Response Device) / Image / Caption (Copy/Response Device) |
| Cheeky | Image (Logo) / Caption (Copy) |
| Thrive Causemetics | Headline (Response Device) / Logo / Caption (Copy) |
| Thinx | Image (Headline) / Caption (Copy) |
| Olive and June | Image / Caption (Copy) |
| Kiehl’s | Headline (Response Device) / Subheadline / Image (Logo) / Caption (Copy) |
| Kate Spade NY | Headline (Response Device) / Caption (Copy) |
| Moo | Logo / Image / Caption (Copy) |
| Function of Beauty | Headline (Response Device) / Image / Caption (Copy) |
| Glossier | Image / Caption (Copy) |
The two prominent sections of Instagram Posts and Post ads are the visual section and the caption section. Instagram’s rhetorical context influences advertising elements to conform to this overarching structure. This compels adaption and innovation of traditional advertising elements—such as headlines doubling as an incentivized response device in limited visual space—and results in the elimination (or near-elimination) of others—such as price, paragraph headings, and subheadlines.
However, within this overarching Post structure, two common patterns emerged within the overall Post ad layout: 5 Post ads followed a pattern that displayed an image of the product as the primary attraction and then used the caption section to include copy (Cheeky, Thinx, Olive and June, Moo, Glossier). The other 5 Post ads included some type of headline as the primary attraction (which often featured a incentivized response device)—with or without a product-related photo—and then used the caption section to include additional copy (Bones, Thrive Causemetics, Kiehl’s, Kate Space NY, Function of Beauty).
Post Results & Answering the Research Questions
Based on these findings, headlines are still an important advertising element and are present in 60% of the Post ads. Headlines are located inside the visual media and usually consist of an incentivized response device, such as a promotion code or discount. The functionality of headlines remains to draw the consumer’s attention—however not to the subheadline, as previously defined by Sugarman (28). Instead, the headline often uses a response device or a CTA to draw your attention to the caption where the copy (the main-selling message) is located.
Typically, a subheadline was not present—only 10% of the Post ads studied utilized one. Traditionally, the subheadline was used to provide further information or explanation of the headline (Sugarman 28). However, as noted above, the limitations of Instagram’s visual space require headlines to direct user/consumers directly to the caption/copy—all but eliminating the need for a subheadline. Due to the visual and caption combination in Instagram’s rhetorical context, if advertisers use a headline as the main attraction in the Instagram image, the caption area can be used to provide additional information so subheadlines are unnecessary.
In Post ads, the photo or drawing advertising element has evolved to become “visual media” to accommodate the emphasis on engaging visual elements produced as a by-product of Instagram’s rhetorical context. Visual media is displayed in Instagram’s 1080px by 1080px square shape, which limits space for visual or textual elements. In the collection of ads analyzed, this visual media typically featured a product-related photo (i.e., the product itself or a person wearing/using the product) or a text-only graphic. In this sampling, 80% of the images were product-related photos and the other 20% were text-only graphics (consisting of a headline/response device). According to Sugarman’s definition, the photo or drawing is used to draw attention and illustrate the product more fully (Sugarman 28). Due to innovations based on influences from Instagram’s rhetorical context—such as headlines being used as response devices in text-only graphics—a revised definition of the photo or drawing element would be an “visual media” that uses visual elements to engage the user/consumer’s attention with a response device or illustrate the product more fully.
Traditionally, Sugarman defined captions as an important, oft-read element that describes the photo or drawing (28). In Instagram’s rhetorical context, captions are a dedicated feature in the Post format, and 100% of the Post ads used a caption. However, instead of being regulated to describing the photo or drawing in Sugarman’s traditional sense, the caption space is a vessel for copy. As this study found, it can also be used to elaborate on the product, promotion codes/discount offers, and showcase customer reviews. Additionally, captions can also feature emojis as a way of engaging user/consumers. Captions tended to average ~18 words in length, due to the “…more” mechanism, but can be longer as demonstrated by Function of Beauty.
Copy is still used to convey the main selling message for products or services (Sugarman 29). Copy was found in 100% of the ads analyzed and the overarching themes broke down as follows: customer reviews (10%), additional product-related information (50%), and reiteration of promotion code/discount offer (40%). As noted above, Instagram’s size limitations on visuals compel advertisers to limit text within that space. This, in turn, moves the bulk of copy to the caption section.
Images were not overly text heavy and captions were fairly short, so paragraph headings were only found in 10% of the Post ads studied. The only case which utilized paragraph headings—in some form—was Function of Beauty. Their ad used emojis in the caption to separate multiple customer reviews. Thus, if advertisers choose to use long captions, emojis are an innovative way to break up large chunks of text—Sugarman’s original definition—versus traditional paragraph headings. This creates more digestible chunks of copy without adding additional words.
Logos display the name of the company selling the product (Sugarman 29). In this selection of Instagram Post ads, logoswere found on 40% of the ads. Four brands (Moo, Thrive Causemetics, Cheeky, Kiehl’s) featured a logo as an advertising element in their Instagram images. In Instagram’s rhetorical context, advertisers must post ads via an Instagram account, a brand username and logo-related profile picture is typically used. As a result of this influence, logos are no longer an essential advertising element for Instagram Post ads. Advertisers, pressed for image space, can simply forgo the logo in place of showing the product, trusting their Instagram username and profile picture to be sufficient.
Price was not featured in any ads. The convergence of ad-context congruity (user-generated content does not feature prices) and Post ad banner links (which directs user/consumers to a designated landing page) indicate price is no longer necessary as an advertising element. Instead, advertisers can input a CTA (“Shop Now” was the most frequently used in this set of Post ads) to direct user/consumers to a designated landing page where they can learn more about a product.
Response devices were found in 50% of the Post ads studied. Instagram as a rhetorical context has influenced response devices to primarily consist of promotion codes or discount offers displayed in the headline/visual media and caption/copy. Because Instagram Post ads offer linked banners, response devices were incentivized—typically featuring a promotion code or discount offer to entice user/consumers. However, instead of being regulated near the end of the ad, as defined by Sugarman, the response device was often forefront of the ad: displayed in the headline as part of the visual and reiterated in the caption as part of the copy.
For the overall layout of Post ads, patterns suggest two primary layouts that emerged from this study on how Instagram’s rhetorical context influences traditional advertising elements. The most commonly used advertising elements in the overall layout of Post ads were the headline (featuring a response device) in an image (usually of a product-related photo), and the caption featuring the copy which often repeated the response device.
| Layout A | Layout B |
|---|---|
| Element 1: Visual media (related to the product) | Element 1: Headline (featuring a response device) |
| Element 2: Caption (featuring copy) | Element 2: Image (product-related visual media or text-only graphic) |
| Element 3: Caption (featuring copy) |
In conclusion, Instagram’s rhetorical context compels the usage, modification, and elimination of traditional advertising elements in Post ads. Traditional advertising elements that are still prominent and in use on Instagram Post ads are: headlines, visual media, captions, copy, and response devices. Advertising elements that are minorly featured or not at all featured are: subheadlines, paragraph headings, logos, and price. Headlines often feature an incentivized response device—such as a promotion code or discount offer. Visuals typically display a brand’s product; however, text-only graphics can also offer response devices. Instagram’s platform provides caption space, so advertisers can attract user/consumers with their attention-grabbing headline/response device and visual, and then use the caption space to provide copy that relates to customer reviews, product information, and/or more explanation on the promotion/discount.
From the collection of Post ads, Bones Coffee and Kiehl’s (see Appendix D) best exemplify the above findings on how Instagram has influenced traditional advertising elements in Post ads with its rhetorical context. Both these Post ads feature headlines offering a promotion code, with a product photo, and a short caption that reiterates the response device.
Story Ad Analysis
In Instagram as a rhetorical context, a user can view user-generated Stories and sponsored Stories. Stories are a full-screen experience, so advertisers have major space for playing with advertising elements in Story ads. When the user swipes through Stories, they can see the entire Story’s visual and textual advertising elements at once. The user’s profile picture and username appear in the upper right-hand corner of Story ad. Sponsored Stories (or “Story ads”) are denoted with a “Sponsored” label under the username. Since Story ads are full-screen, ad visuals can be designed to utilize as many advertising elements as needed or wanted. Additionally, Instagram enables advertisers to insert text via its advertising platform. This text is displayed in 2-3 lines. If text is longer, it is cut off by a tappable “…more” mechanism. When the user taps “…more” they can see the text in its entirety.
Additionally, Story ads also feature a “Swipe Up” mechanism which is reserved for paid Stories and verified users with +10,000 followers. This mechanism typically features a two-word call-to-action (CTA)—such as “Shop Now”—and redirects users who tap it to a designated landing page. Similar to Post ads, CTA options are prescribed by Instagram, so advertisers must choose from a list of CTAs and are not able to insert customized CTAs.
Headline
To get your attention and draw you to the subheadline (Sugarman 28).
| Brand | Headline |
|---|---|
| Native | No |
| Banana Republic | NEW REUSABLE FACE MASKS ARE HERE |
| Hello Fresh | 8 FREE MEALS |
| Spanx | No |
| Ink + Volt | No |
| Brooklinen | Best. Sheets. Ever. |
| Schick | Intuition is all you need |
| Liquid I.V. | Upgrade Your Work From Home Vibe |
| MeUndies | No added cost to join our Membership and save. |
| Hatch | Meet Hatch Restore |
In the rhetorical context of Instagram, advertisers can insert text and visual media via Instagram’s advertising platform. If brands desire a more structured layout, ad creatives have to be specially designed for Instagram Stories. Therefore, advertising elements like headlines tended to be part of a “designed” ad visual. Meaning, advertisers—understanding the need to leverage engaging Story ad content as it appears embedded within user-generated ad content—specifically designed a Story ad to offer a more detailed, branded ad experience.
Of the Story ads analyzed, 7 ads used a headline (Banana Republic, Hello Fresh, Brooklinen, Schick, Liquid I.V., MeUndies, Hatch). Of these headlines, all 7 had the text included as part of a designed ad. Typically, these headlines appeared at the top of the image; however Hatch’s headline (“Meet Hatch Restore”) appeared at the bottom of the ad.
Two ads utilized headlines as response devices, similar to Post ads. Hello Fresh used an incentivized response device (“8 FREE MEALS”) to engage the reader with the ad. Hatch took a more directive-approach their headline’s response device “Meet Hatch Restore”), placing it near the “Swipe Up” mechanism of the Story ad. The location of the headline induces its function as a response device because it the tells reader how to respond to the ad.
However, the rest of the Story ads used more traditional “attention-grabbing” headlines. Banana Republic referenced face masks, an attention-grabbing item as a result of the pandemic (see Appendix A); Brooklinen claimed their sheets were the best ever; Schick used a play on words with their product name, suggesting it would be all a customer would need; Liquid I.V. suggested their product could up people’s working from home experience (also an implicit reference to the pandemic—see Appendix A); and MeUndies promoted their Membership and savings.
Three of the Story ads did not use a headline (Native, Spanx, Ink + Volt). Of the Story ads that did not use a headline, these ads displayed only a product-related image paired with copy (Native, Spanx, Ink + Volt). Should advertisers forgo a headline, visual media that displays the product and copy should still be included.
Headlines are still a prominent advertising element in Instagram Story ads. Although advertisers have to create designed ad visuals to include advertising elements, this extra step underscores its importance for these brands. Headlines should be engaging and draw the user/consumers attention; however, it does not have to feature a response device (although this could be beneficial). Advertisers wishing to assess the best headline for their product should test different styles of response devices (incentive vs directive) or other attention-grabbing headlines.
Subheadline
To give you more information and further explain the attention-getting headline (Sugarman 28).
| Brand | Subheadline |
|---|---|
| Native | No |
| Banana Republic | No |
| Hello Fresh | INCLUDING FREE SHIPPING |
| Spanx | No |
| Ink + Volt | No |
| Brooklinen | Softer with every wash, backed by a 365 day guarantee. |
| Schick | No |
| Liquid I.V. | Energy multiple contains ~100mg of fast-acting natural caffeine, comparable to 1-2 cups of coffee. |
| MeUndies | No |
| Hatch | No |
Instagram’s rhetorical context allows visual media (as well as text) to be uploaded for Story ads. To establish a more branded experience advertisers can upload a designed ad creative to ensure their ad is well-received and engaging to user/consumers. However, because Stories are full screen, the entire visual ad and textual ad must occupy the same visual container. Accordingly, advertiser must carefully select the advertising elements to include in their ad. Analysis found that the usage of subheadlines was greatly reduced, but still present in some cases.
Of the Story ads analyzed, 3 ads used a subheadline. Hello Fresh used the subheadline to elaborate further on the headline/response device featured in their ad (“INCLUDING FREE SHIPPING”). Brooklinen used the subheadline as more of a “copy” function to deliver the main selling point of the product (“Softer with every wash, backed by a 365 day guarantee.”). Liquid I.V. used their subheadline as more of a “caption” function to describe the product pictured (“Energy multiple contains ~100mg of fast-acting natural caffeine, comparable to 1-2 cups of coffee.”). Its position between the headline and visual media produce a dual function of subheadline/caption.
Otherwise, the other 7 Story ads did not use a subheadline. Of the ads that did not use a subheadline, 6 ads used some other form copy in their ad (Native, Banana Republic, Spanx, Ink + Volt, Schick, MeUndies). Only one ad did not include any other form of copy or text outside of their headline (Hatch).
Subheadlines are not a prominent advertising element. Instagram’s Story ads offer more space for advertisers to include a variety of advertising elements, so advertisers can test utilizing subheadline in their ads if desired. However, this research suggests that headlines and copy are sufficient for Story ads.
Photo or Drawing
To get your attention and to illustrate the product more fully (Sugarman 28).
| Brand | Photo or Drawing |
|---|---|
| Native | Video of customer talking about product w/ subtitles |
| Banana Republic | Yes, person wearing product |
| Hello Fresh | Yes, product |
| Spanx | Yes, person wearing product |
| Ink + Volt | Yes, product |
| Brooklinen | Yes, product |
| Schick | Yes, product |
| Liquid I.V. | Yes, person using product |
| MeUndies | Yes, person using product |
| Hatch | Yes, person using product |
In the rhetorical context of Instagram, the “photo or drawing” advertising element is a necessary and key component of Story ads. However, this advertising element has evolved to include a myriad of mixed visual media (product photos, videos, subtitles, graphics, text, and shapes). As mentioned earlier, Instagram Stories appear full-screen and, accordingly, are prominent visually. Story ads can feature images or video media. In the analysis of this ad-set, all 10 ads featured a product-related visual (compared to Post ads, where text-only images were utilized). These product-related visuals were categorized according to the type of the visual used.
The analysis of Story ads showed that 4 ads featured a product-centric image (Hello Fresh, Ink + Volt, Brooklinen, Schick); 5 ads featured an image of a person wearing/using the product (Banana Republic, Spanx, Liquid I.V., MeUndies, Hatch); and one 1 ad used a video of a customer talking about their personal experience while holding the product (Native). Additionally, 4 Story ads included other visual elements (shapes) as part of their product-related image. Hello Fresh and MeUndies used curved-shape elements (e.g., circle, squiggle, and blob shapes), Banana Republic and Native both used square/rectangular-shaped elements to offset text.
Instagram’s emphasis on visual media as a condition of its rhetorical context necessitates the use of engaging, interesting, and unique visual media in Story ads. Importantly, the product must be prominently displayed in the visual media—as compared to Post ads, where text-only graphics were sometimes used. Advertisers should test product-related images vs. video and designed ads to assess what types of visual media perform best for their products. Additionally—as discussed in Function of Beauty’s use of customer reviews—Native’s use of a customer’s video review as a strategy situates user-generated content in ad content. This strategy can be leveraged by advertisers seeking to improve their ad-context congruity.
Caption
To describe the photo or drawing. This is an important element and one that is often read (Sugarman 28).
| Brand | Caption |
|---|---|
| Native | Yes, subtitles |
| Banana Republic | No |
| Hello Fresh | No |
| Spanx | No |
| Ink + Volt | No |
| Brooklinen | No |
| Schick | No |
| Liquid I.V. | Yes |
| MeUndies | No |
| Hatch | No |
Unlike the interface of Posts, Instagram Stories do not have a dedicated caption section. This rhetorical context creates creative use of text and image for user-generated content and ad content as well. However, because there was no designated caption section in Stories, they were all-but-eliminated from traditional usage in Story ads.
Consequently, 8 Story ads did not use caption for their visual media (Banana Republic, Hello Fresh, Spanx, Ink + Volt, Brooklinen, Schick, MeUndies, Hatch). In Instagram Story ads, advertisers tended to rely on their product-related visual media and copy to engage the user/consumer, leaving little use for traditional captions. However, 2 Story ads did modify the traditional use of captions: Native opted to enclose subtitles in their video ad; and Liquid I.V. used a caption which functioned dually as a subheadline, based on its placement under the headline and above the image. Like headlines and subheadlines, these “captions” were included as part of a designed branded image.
While Story ads are full screen, it remains critical for advertisers to carefully craft ads that engage—rather than impose—user/consumers swiping through their Stories. While captions are useful sections in Post ads, when not provided a designated space they are eliminated from prominent usage in Story ads. However, videos with subtitles are an interesting innovation and advertisers seeking to leverage findings from this study can implement user-generated content such as videos with subtitles to assess its performance as an ad campaign.
Copy
To convey the main selling message for your product or service (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Copy |
|---|---|
| Native | Bottles will be spilled, kids will cry, and your task list will be never-ending. But Native will keep you smelling fresh through it all! That’s our guarantee. |
| Banana Republic | Fun prints, fresh colors, available in adult and kids sizes |
| Hello Fresh | [emoji] Surf & Turf is now on the menu! Name a more iconic duo…we’ll wait. Try it now & get 8 free meals including free shipping! |
| Spanx | Back. In Stock. – Don’t miss out on these best-selling faux leather leggings! They sold out in 24 hours, and they’ll do it again. Now available in petite and tall! |
| Ink + Volt | Get your priorities straight with the Ink + Volt Priority Pad. You have a lot on your plate. What are you spending the most time on? Make sure you’re focused on what…[more] |
| Brooklinen | No |
| Schick | Intuition’s moisturizing bar nourishes your skill for a hassle-free shave. |
| Liquid I.V. | No |
| MeUndies | Each month, you’ll pick a pair that feels the most you. Over time, you’ll build a collection of (ridiculously soft) Undies that feel like an extension of your personality. |
| Hatch | No |
Instagram as an advertising platform provides advertisers the ability to insert copy into the visual container of the ad. However, unlike Post ads, copy was not always utilized in Story ads. Advertisers who chose to upload designed ads either forewent the copy entirely or relied on other advertising elements already present in the ad (e.g., a headline, subheadline, visual media, or caption) to relay the main selling message of the ad.
Five ads used Instagram’s “copy” feature available via its advertising platform (Native, Hello Fresh, Spanx, Ink + Volt, Schick, MeUndies). This copy is distinguishable by the Instagram-specific font and highlighted text user’s often find in user-generated content. Banana Republic included copy in their ad but used their own designed ad to incorporate the copy into the visual (versus inserting the copy via Instagram’s advertising platform). The over-arching theme of copy found in Story ads revolved around highlighting the product’s unique features (i.e., Native, guaranteed to “keep you smelling fresh”) or creating a sense of urgency (i.e., Spanx, “They sold out in 24 hours, and they’ll do it again.”). Additionally, copy tended to be short (averaging ~23 words) as a result of Instagram’s “…more” cut off. One ad, however, featured more than 30 words in their copy and which meant viewers would have to tap the “…more” mechanism to view the copy in its entirety (Ink + Volt).
Finally, 3 ads forewent copy altogether (Brooklinen, Liquid I.V., Hatch). Brooklinen had a visually designed ad that featured text in the headline and subheadline; Liquid I.V. also had a completely designed ad that featured text in the headline and subheadline (caption); Hatch simply featured a headline (which doubled as a response device) and a product image.
Regardless of whether advertisers use designed ads or not, copy is still a prominent advertising element in Instagram Story ads. Though emphasis is placed on engaging visual media content, most brands typically included a few lines of copy that further highlighted their product’s features. Advertisers looking to test whether or not copy is beneficial can A/B test ads with and without copy to more accurately measure performance.
Paragraph Headings
To break up the copy into chunks, thereby making the copy look less imposing (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Paragraph Headings |
|---|---|
| Native | No |
| Banana Republic | No |
| Hello Fresh | No |
| Spanx | No |
| Ink + Volt | No |
| Brooklinen | No |
| Schick | No |
| Liquid I.V. | No |
| MeUndies | No |
| Hatch | No |
Instagram is a photo- and video-sharing platform which means long text is not often utilized in the visual portions of either Post or Story ads. This influence of Instagram’s rhetorical context results in the elimination of paragraph headings as an advertising element in Instagram Stories. Of the Story ads analyzed, no ads featured paragraph headings. Stories are full-screen, so text must appear inside the visual container—i.e., text must split space with any visual elements. As copy tended to be short-form, there were no Story ads that featured paragraph headings.
Even though advertisers are able to insert longer copy—and even though Instagram Stories offer a full-screen ad experience—the “more” cut-off mechanism and emphasis on highly visual media in Instagram’s rhetorical context has eliminated paragraph headings. Though, paragraph headings could theoretically be used by advertisers designing ad creatives, it does not appear to be current usage.
Logo
To display the name of the company selling the product (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Logo |
|---|---|
| Native | No |
| Banana Republic | Yes |
| Hello Fresh | No |
| Spanx | No |
| Ink + Volt | No |
| Brooklinen | Yes |
| Schick | Yes |
| Liquid I.V. | Yes |
| MeUndies | No |
| Hatch | Yes |
As noted in the “Logo” section of the Post ads, the rhetorical context of Instagram displays brand usernames and profile pictures. This has been shown to influence the prominence of logos in Post ads. However, logos were featured more frequently in Story ads than Post ads.
Of the Story ads analyzed, 5 ads featured a brand logo (Banana Republic, Brooklinen, Schick, Liquid I.V., Hatch). Liquid I.V., similar to Cheeky in the Post ads, featured its logo as part of the product image. Three ads featured the logo prominently in the top center of the image (Banana Republic, Brooklinen, Hatch). The last ad, Schick, featured the logo in the upper left-hand corner of their product image. All these logos appeared in ads that featured a headline and product-related image. The other 5 Story ads did not feature a logo (Native, Hello Fresh, Spanx, Ink + Volt, MeUndies).
Story ads are displayed full screen for the users which means advertisers who use designed ads can insert logos into their ad creatives. However, as noted with subheadlines and captions, more space does not necessarily mean more advertising elements should be used. The 50/50 split of logo usage in Stories suggests that logos can be optional—they are still more prominent than subheadlines and captions, but not as a prominent has headlines and copy. Advertisers seeking to refine their Instagram Story advertising strategy can test logo usage in their ad campaigns to determine if its presence impacts performance of the ads.
Price
To let the read know what the product or service costs. The price could be in large type or could be buried in the copy (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Price |
|---|---|
| Native | No |
| Banana Republic | No |
| Hello Fresh | No |
| Spanx | No |
| Ink + Volt | No |
| Brooklinen | No |
| Schick | No |
| Liquid I.V. | No |
| MeUndies | No |
| Hatch | No |
Similar to Post ads, the analysis of Story revealed the elimination of price as an advertising element. As noted in the “Price” section in Post ads, this elimination of usage stems from the convergence of ad-context congruity and linking-enabled Posts. Story ads redirect user/consumers to a designated landing page via a “Swipe Up” mechanism across the bottom of the Story. Similarly to the Post’s banner, two-word CTAs are also accompanied with the “Swipe Up” mechanism. In analysis of the Post ads, 9 ads used “Shop Now” (Native, Banana Republic, Spanx, Ink + Volt, Brooklinen, Schick, Liquid I.V., MeUndies, Hatch); 1 ad used “Get Offer” as its CTA (Hello Fresh).
User/consumers who are interested in further researching the product can swipe up on the ad and can be redirected to a product or pricing page to learn more information—negating the need for price as an advertising element in Instagram Story ads.
Response Device
To give the reader a way to respond to the ad, by using the coupon, toll-free number, or ordering information, usually near the end of the ad (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Response Device |
|---|---|
| Native | No |
| Banana Republic | SWIPE UP TO MASK UP |
| Hello Fresh | 8 FREE MEALS |
| Spanx | No |
| Ink + Volt | No |
| Brooklinen | Shop Sheets Now |
| Schick | No |
| Liquid I.V. | USE CODE: ENERGY25 |
| MeUndies | No |
| Hatch | Meet Hatch Restore |
Response device strategy in Instagram Story ads was split between an incentive (promotion/discount) or a directive (getting user to “swipe up”). This modification stems from conditions set by Instagram: it provides a “Swipe Up” mechanism on Story ads for user/consumers interested in a product to be redirected to an external landing page.
Of the Story ads analyzed, 5 ads featured response devices. Two ads used a promotion code or discount offer. Hello Fresh utilized a discount offer (“8 FREE MEALS”) in their headline and reiterated it again in the copy (very similar to Post ads). Liquid I.V. used a promotion code (“ENERGY25”) as a standalone response device above the “Swipe Up” mechanism, so readers were simultaneously drawn to the “Swipe Up” mechanism while being offered a special promotion code.
The other 3 ads used more directive-style response devices (Banana Republic, Brooklinen, and Hatch). Banana Republic used “Swipe Up to Mask Up” —a reference to Instagram Stories “Swipe Up” link feature; Brooklinen used “Shop Sheets Now”; and Hatch used a “Meet Hatch Restore” CTA above the “Swipe Up” feature to direct customers on how to respond to the ad (i.e., learn or shop more). Response devices were located near the bottom of the ad to draw attention to Instagram’s “Swipe Up” feature. With the exception of Hatch, these response devices were not featured as a part of the headline or main copy. Hatch’s “Meet Hatch Restore” is the solo piece of text on the image, focusing attention to it. However, its positioning above the “Swipe Up” feature gives the text both a dual functionality as headline and response device.
The “Swipe Up” mechanism of Instagram’s Story ads changes how advertisers used response devices. Compared to Post ads where response devices were all incentives, response devices in Story ads could be incentives or directives. Advertisers wishing to test response devices for their advertising strategy can experiment with the style to assess whether an incentivized response devices garner better performance over directive response devices or vice versa.
Overall Layout
To provide the overall appearance for the ad, by using effective graphic design for the other elements (Sugarman 29).
| Brand | Overall Layout |
|---|---|
| Native | Video (Subtitles) / Copy |
| Banana Republic | Logo / Image / Headline / Copy / Response Device |
| Hello Fresh | Image / Headline / Subheadline / Copy |
| Spanx | Image / Copy |
| Ink + Volt | Image / Copy |
| Brooklinen | Logo / Headline / Subheadline (Copy) / Image / Response Device |
| Schick | Logo / Headline / Image / Copy |
| Liquid I.V. | Logo / Headline / Subheadline (Caption) / Image / Response Device |
| MeUndies | Headline / Image / Copy |
| Hatch | Logo / Image / Headline |
Much of Instagram’s rhetorical context revolves around its legacy as a visual-centric platform. The usage of traditional advertising elements is influenced as the result of advertisers attempting to present a creative, well-designed ad that engaged and persuaded the user/consumer to swipe up. Accordingly, the overall layout of Instagram Story ads is much affected by the rhetorical context and mechanisms of Instagram: prominent usage of headlines and product-related visual elements, subheadlines that doubled as captions, response devices that directed the user to swipe up, and specifically designed ad creatives that utilized advertising elements to provide a structured ad experience for the user/consumer.
In 100% of the ads, visual media visual media was used (images, videos, and graphic elements) that featured the product itself or a person wearing/using the product. In 50% of the Story ads analyzed, a logo appeared at the top of the layout (Banana Republic, Brooklinen, Schick, Liquid I.V., Hatch). In 60% of the Story ads, a headline was used (Hello Fresh, Brooklinen, Schick, Liquid I.V., MeUndies, Hatch). In 30% of the Story ads, a subheadline was used to provide further information related to the headline or a caption or copy function (Hello Fresh, Brooklinen, Liquid I.V.). In 20% of the Story ads, a “caption” was used to some creative extent to encapsulate a subheading or modified to include subtitles in a video ad (Liquid I.V., Native). In 70% of the Story ads, copy was used to deliver the main selling message of the ad (Native, Banana Republic, Hello Fresh, Spanx, Ink + Volt, Schick, Liquid I.V., MeUndies). Finally, 50% of the Story ads used a response device to either incentivize the user/consumer or direct them to the “Swipe Up” feature (Hello Fresh, Banana Republic, Brooklinen, Liquid I.V., Hatch). Paragraph headings and price were not featured in Story ads.
Story Results & Answering the Research Questions
For Instagram Story ads, headlines are still an important advertising element and were present in 70% of the Story ads analyzed (Banana Republic, Hello Fresh, Brooklinen, Schick, Liquid I.V., MeUndies, Hatch). They were typically found in the top portion of the Story ad image but could be used in the bottom portion to attract the reader to Instagram’s “Swipe Up” feature as a response device—as demonstrated by Hatch. However, while headlines in Post ads were more likely to contain a response device, Story ad headlines more closely aligned with Sugarman’s traditional definition, of “attention-grabbing”, but functioned to direct readers to the copy.
A subheadline was present 30% of the time in Story ads (Hello Fresh, Brooklinen, Liquid I.V.). As evidenced by the Story ads collected, subheadlines are not a necessary part of the Instagram Story ad experience. Whereas Sugarman defined subheadlines as providing “more information” and to “further explain the attention-getting headline”, subheadlines in Story ads—when present—played multiple roles: they can be used in line with Sugarman’s traditional sense of a subheadline, or they can function similarly to “copy” or a “caption”, depending on their placement. (For example, Liquid I.V. used their subheadline as a caption.) If advertisers are using designed ads, headlines with subheadlines are more likely found together. However, this is not required, as copy can be used to provide pertinent information.
For Story ads, the photo or drawing advertising element was present 100% of the time and was adapted to fit with the rhetorical context of Instagram user-generated Stories. Accordingly, the ad visual element of “photo or drawing” element has adapted to be a “visual element” which can be used to design ads that are more congruent with user-generated Stories, which often feature a variety of visual and graphic elements. Videos can offer a new way of showcasing the product in ways the traditional advertising element of photo or drawing couldn’t.
Captions were found in 20% of the ads analyzed and are not a core element in Story ads as they are with Post ads. Unlike Instagram Posts, there is no dedicated section for caption in Stories. Because of these conditions, captions are rarely-used advertising elements in Instagram Story ads. However, two ads (Native, Liquid I.V.) modified usage of captions in Story ads. Liquid I.V. utilized the caption in Sugarman’s traditional sense of explaining the feature product-related photo while placing it in a subheadline location. Native included subtitles for a customer review video used in the ad. Like headlines and subheadlines, these “captions” were a visual element included as part of a designed ad.
Copy was found in 70% of the Story ads (Native, Banana Republic, Hello Fresh, Spanx, Ink + Volt, Schick, MeUndies). This copy, as defined by Sugarman, is the main selling message of the product (29). For Story ads, this definition remained true. Advertisers had two options to insert copy: either as a part of a designed ad (like Banana Republic) or to use Instagram’s copy feature, which inserted the copy as highlighted text in the Story ad. This appears similar to how users creating Stories can insert text. Copy was typically short, averaging around 23 words, but can be longer (e.g., Ink + Volt.). This is due to Instagram’s conditions in which longer copy is cut off by a “…more” mechanism. As a result, Instagram has modified this element because of its rhetorical context: if advertisers want to keep copy completely visible within the Story Ad, they must create short-form copy that delivers the main selling message in roughly 23 words or less.
As copy was fairly short, paragraph headings were not present in any Instagram Story ad in this research study. Unlike Post ads, there is no separate section for text, copy must be contained within the visual frame of the Story. Thus, Instagram as a rhetorical context has eliminated the need for paragraph headings as advertising elements in Instagram Story ads.
Logos were found in 50% of the Story ads (Banana Republic, Brooklinen, Schick, Liquid I.V., Hatch). Typically, this logo was found in the upper section of the image. Although it was found in half the Story ads, similar to Post ads, advertisers can forgo the logo if desired in favor of their username and profile picture, which is always displayed in the upper left-hand corner as a condition of Instagram’s rhetorical context.
Price was found in 0% of Story ads. User/consumers occupying a dual niche within Instagram would be put off from engaging with ad content that featured a price when it is surrounded by user-generated content based on the concepts of ad-context congruity. Additionally, Story ads—like Post ads—are enabled with external linking. The “Swipe Up” mechanism redirects user/consumers to a designated landing page, which has eliminated the need for a price to be displayed on behalf of advertisers. Instead, advertisers can insert a CTA (the most frequently used was “Show Now” in this set of ads, but advertisers can test) to draw user/consumers further into the selling funnel.
A response device was featured in 50% of the Story ads (Banana Republic, Hello Fresh, Brooklinen, Liquid I.V., Hatch). However, response devices in Story ads did not follow the same promotional code/discount offer pattern as found in Post ads. Only 2 Story ads contained a promotion code/discount offer (compared to 50% of Post ads). The other 3 Story ads used response devices to call attention to the “Swipe Up” link featured in Instagram Story ads. This contextualized feature has modified how response devices are used as an advertising element in Story ads. Compared to the traditional definition of giving the reader a way to respond to the ad, it was used to highlight and call attention to Instagram’s “Swipe Up” feature, which is also a response device. Response devices in Story ads are an innovation on the traditional: although Instagram’s “Swipe Up” feature is inherently a type of response device, brands used additional advertising elements to call attention to it.
Analysis of the overall layout in Story ads revealed that Story ads are likely to feature a logo, a headline, visual media (either a photo or video) of the product, and copy.
| Overall Story Ad Layout |
|---|
| Element 1: Logo |
| Element 2: Headline |
| Element 3: Visual Media |
| Element 4: Copy |
| Element 5: Response Device |
Additional advertising elements—like a subheadline or caption—can provide additional information and potentially increase consumer engagement but were not found in a majority of the ads sampled. Advertising elements like paragraph headings and price were eliminated from usage in Instagram Story ads.
In conclusion, Story ads featured much more traditional usage of a logo, headline, visual media, copy, response device in the overall layout. However, Instagram’s Story conditions do require advertisers to creatively adapt traditional advertising elements. For example, Liquid I.V. used a caption in the traditional placement of the subheadline; Hatch, Liquid I.V., Brooklinen, and Banana Republic used additional response devices above Instagram’s “Swipe Up” mechanism; and designed images were often used for Story visual media. These designed images incorporated other textual advertising elements (such as logos, headlines, subheadlines, copy, captions, and response devices) and creative graphic elements (such as shapes) in the design to create an overall more branded experience. Advertising elements like paragraph headings and price were eliminated from usage in this sampling of Instagram Story ads.
From the collection of Story ads, Banana Republic, Brooklinen, and Liquid I.V. (see Appendix E) best exemplify the above findings on how Instagram’s rhetorical context has influenced traditional advertising elements in Story ads. All 3 Story ads provide a brand-designed ad that contains visual elements such as a logo, headline, product-related photo, copy, and a response device.
Crystal Abing 