By late 2010, a platform other than Facebook was suddenly becoming cool in the US. Within a couple of months of its launch, Instagram, the video- and photo-sharing app/social network had crossed a million users. While the platform has long been making users happy, how is it working out for brands?

Users and brands in India are taking to it slowly and watchfully. A common complaint among many brands that use Facebook: There’s too much going on. A platform like Instagram answers that problem, and has become a strategic choice, especially for youth consumer brands even if they are not abandoning Facebook.

Made for mobile Brands in India such as Urban Ladder, Paper Boat and Lifestyle appeal to younger consumer segments and city folk by capitalising on mobile-led reach.

In fact, Instagram and Twitter stand out for being platforms that are perfect for ‘mobile’. So, a brand looking to connect with people on the go and through attractive engagement vehicles now has immediate, direct access to the consumer.

“Sixty per cent of our audience across social media and all our online platforms are reaching out to us purely on mobile. We have a mobile-responsive website too where traction is significant,” says Srinivasa Rao, Vice President, Marketing, Lifestyle International.

Rao believes Facebook had not made it easy for businesses, even that it is becoming passé for early adopters. “It’s losing sheen, although it’s not entirely irrelevant,” he says. Urban Ladder’s Director – Brand Marketing, Manu Prasad adds, “The fragmentation of audiences on Facebook is significant with so many brands, especially in the last two years, vying for the same consumer’s attention.

“We now invest only about 30 per cent of our performance marketing and branding efforts on Facebook, but strategically spread the rest of our efforts across other platforms.”

Thirty per cent is not a small share for Facebook considering the other platforms individually get less than that. But both Urban Ladder and Paper Boat (Hector Beverages Ltd) have been taking Instagram seriously for over 6-8 months, each now having 1,500 followers on Instagram. Both assess Instagram as the best platform to showcase their design and culture.

“Instagram just brought in a different level of gravitas to our brand. Meanwhile, on Facebook, it’s becoming more difficult to go viral,” says Neeraj Kakkar, Founder-CEO, Hector Beverages.

Better conversations Since Urban Ladder began using Instagram seriously from January this year, its experiments like a ‘pets and furniture’ campaign and use of humour are creating visibility for the brand. Urban Ladder wants to increase its followers four-fold. Manu Prasad of Urban Ladder reveals, “Instagram has prompted us to use visuals more and leverage our stock of photographs better.”

So brands have to work differently on Instagram than they do on Facebook. And Instagram is helping them gain a hold, in the form of largely positive talk from users.

“There seems to be more rage on Twitter, and Facebook is high on clutter. There is far more happiness on Instagram and people comment differently,” says Paper Boat’s Neeraj Kakkar.

Paper Boat’s annual digital campaign, #FloatABoat, had people make their own paper boats and upload pictures of them, so that Paper Boat could contribute ₹20 for every picture put up - the collections go toward supporting the primary education of children.

“We’re big on connecting childhood memories to our range of drinks and that’s why Instagram works for a lot of our campaigns. Even in months like July when the demand for our beverages goes down a little, connect with our consumers never stops,” says Kakkar.

Meanwhile retail giant Lifestyle managed a successful campaign, #InstaStyle, around its spring-summer collection.

Since April when it started its Instagram campaign, Lifestyle has acquired 5,400 followers.

“Instagram links well to our core brand thought. For #InstaStyle, we aimed at promoting the idea of getting an instant transformation with our summer collection and it’s worked very well for us,” says Lifestyle’s Srinivasa Rao.

Notably, Paper Boat and Lifestyle, brands with sizeable numbers of Facebook fans, are gung-ho about all that may be possible by leveraging Instagram better. With hashtagging included, the Instagram impact is Twitter-like. Not to forget, in true Facebook style, the big gun acquired Instagram in a large cash and stock deal.

Three years on, Instagram, although a Facebook company, operates independently and is looking attractive to urban brands for business. And they are not sparing any efforts with it.

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