Instagram Direct Messaging: What's In It for Brands

Whenever Facebook or Instagram introduce a product these days, there is an assumption that the monetization scheme can't be too far behind. But for Instagram Direct, a new set of private and group messaging features unveiled at a press event Thursday morning, making money off the feature may not be the ultimate goal.
A source familiar with Instagram's thinking told Mashable that the company isn't considering or even discussing the idea of bringing ads to Instagram Direct. Instead, Instagram is focused on testing and rolling out the sponsored posts that it debuted early last month.


Some analysts doubt that Instagram direct messages have much potential for advertising. "Is there a brand play for this? I don't see one," Brian Blau, an analyst with Gartner, told Mashable in an interview. Unlike Instagram's introduction of 15-second videos, which was very much geared towards marketers, Blau thinks the messaging feature are more about retaining and attracting users who might otherwise have been lured by apps like Snapchat, Path and Line. "It is really a user thing," he said. "It's a competitive move."
While Instagram may not be planning ad initiatives for Instagram Direct just yet, cofounder and CEO Kevin Systrom did note during the event that marketers can potentially use the messaging feature to college images for contests. Less than two hours later, Gap did just that, soliciting comments on an Instagram post and messaging the first 15 commenters with a limited edition Gap product.