agram tests cramming 4 ads onto one screen

Instagram has launched a new ad format that squeezes four sponsored posts onto one screen.

The platform has a new take on Multi Advertiser Ads, which group together sponsored posts related to different businesses. They are served to users who have shown a recent interest in similar products or services.

Advertisers can opt out of this feature in the Settings menu.

Why do we care? While bombarding Instagram users with too many ads at once could keep CPMs down, it may also annoy them, making it difficult for brands to grab their attention and negatively impacting CTR.

Not all impressions have the same value. Barry Hott is a Growth Marketing Consultant and Advisor. He believes that although brands might initially have some success, the novelty of this format will wear off and the users will opt to skip over the content. He said:

• “Meta is getting greedy and trying to squeeze as many ad views out of its users, especially on Reels. This is a great reminder that not all impressions are created equal. This impression is much less valuable than a Reels or Feed placement. However, it can be used for cheap CPMs. It’s more like a placement in the right column.”
• Lower CPMs with multiple placements and an optimized platform are not the best for you. “Don’t be happy when you see lower CPMs. Instead, ask why.”
• This placement will allow the system to convert more 1-day views at a cheaper (non-incremental), non-incremental price.
• My bet is that the placement will be successful for a few months, before users realize this is a platform to serve them ads. They’ll subconsciously block them and skip them.

The potential for annoying users. Katharine McKee is a digital commerce consultant who expressed her concern about the ad interrupting user experience. She said:

• I would guess that this is driven in part by customer interest. It may not be the best example, but those ads are all cheesy/spammy. They’re highly likely to get skipped.
• It may be more efficient from an UX perspective to combine the seemingly identical items into one skippable “bomb” rather than annoy users.
• Put all the trash that can be ignored into one slot. I can’t wait to see that ugly reel!

What did Instagram say? Instagram announced its multi-advertiser product through an announcement in its Help Center. A spokesperson stated:

• Multi-advertiser ads allow people to compare and discover products from different businesses. This ad unit is available on Facebook and Instagram for certain placements. It allows advertisers to reach people who are interested in similar products or businesses.
• In the multi-advertiser unit, personalized ads from different businesses will be shown in a rotating format below an ad a customer has engaged with recently. For example, an ad promoting a wedding gown could appear next to another brand’s advertisement for a cake for weddings.
• The advertiser chooses the destination of their action button in a multi-advertiser advertisement. A button at the end of the carousel links to an ad feed where shoppers can discover more products and services related (currently available only on Instagram).
• This feature may not be available yet as it is being introduced gradually.

Meta’s Multi Advertiser Ads Announcement for more information.

The first Search Engine Land article to appear was Instagram tests cramming 4 ads onto one screen.