Why Instagram Reels might be ahead of TikTok

Instagram launches a video music remix feature and attacks its Chinese social media competitor TikTok head-on. This is the Facebook group's second attempt to steal a march on the popular platform from the Far East. Facebook already tried to use the TikTok mechanism with short music video clips with the Lasso function.

However, Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CEO of the social media platform Socialbakers, believes that Facebook has a better chance with its second attempt at Instagram Reels: "While Lasso was a standalone app, Instagram Reels is integrated directly into Instagram's user interface. This makes it easier for Facebook advertisers and users to access this highly engagement-rich content - without the barrier of having to download an additional app. Instagram Stories is the best example of how Facebook has in the past strongly attacked the competition - in this case Snapchat - with a new content format for its existing target group."

Ben-Itzhak also sees advantages of Instagram Reels over TikTok, especially for advertisers: "Since TikTok is aimed exclusively at a younger target group, Instagram Reels could pose a very serious threat to TikTok when it comes to advertising revenue - an even bigger threat than Facebook's Lasso ever was. 40 percent of TikTok's users are between the ages of 10 and 19, according to data from App Annie. With strict regulations on advertising aimed at children, brands are more cautious about their ad spend on the platform. Not only do brands have to comply with advertising regulations, but they also have to consider that 10-19 year olds are often not the ones making the purchasing decisions, so how worthwhile is their investment in a platform with such low demographic appeal? Instagram doesn't face this challenge as the platform appeals to a much broader audience, making it extremely advertiser-friendly." (hae/pd)