Instagram users have already been seeing more advertisements pop up in their feeds of artsy cocktails, wide-eyed kittens and vacation photos, and now they can expect longer video ads in the mix too.
The Facebook-owned photo-sharing app is adding 30-second video ads and other features in a push to give businesses more ways to tap the 300 million people who use it at least once a month. Before, ads on Instagram had lasted 15 seconds.
Instagram said in a blog post that large and small advertisers will be able to run campaigns starting this month, and ads are now available in more than 30 new countries, including India, South Korea and Mexico.
More than 70 percent of Instagram’s users are outside of the U.S.
Businesses will also be able to use landscape-style photos, as well as a product called Marquee that aims to quickly expand a company’s reach for things such as movie premieres and product launches.
The company said businesses have been testing the app’s new tools over the summer, and Instagram is seeing “significant” demand in areas like e-commerce and travel.
Research firm eMarketer estimates that Instagram’s worldwide ad revenue will be $600 million this year. By 2016, it’s expected to reach $1.48 billion, rising to $2.81 billion in 2017.
