The Hungry Games

With "The Hungry Games" - based on the movie "The Hunger Games" - Snickers showed in the Netherlands at the end of 2017 how to use the advertising space in Instagram Stories in an innovative way.

That's not a bad idea, because as we all know, this function, which Instagram only introduced in 2016 and cribbed from its Generation Z competitor Snapchat, is one of the most popular things the social media world currently has to offer. The short films that stars, influencers and normal users create can only be accessed for 24 hours and then disappear into social media nirvana. So if you don't want to miss anything, look through the Stories several times a day. Sponsored Stories from advertisers are mixed in with the Stories of subscribed Instagram users.

This is actually an attractive advertising environment, because it's rare to get "that close" to the much-vaunted Generation Z. However, here too - as with YouTube's pre-rolls, for example - anything that doesn't interest or appeal is skipped. Unlike YouTube, Instagram doesn't even have a minimum duration for advertising. The Stories can be wiped or clicked away by the user within a few moments.

The aforementioned "Hungry Games" show how it could work: Three supposed video games in retro 8-bit look activated the users and invited them to play along. Controlling a game in Instagram Stories is actually technically impossible. However, We Are Blossom and Snickers used the only interaction option the viewer has: Pressing the screen pauses the story. That's about it. Press and hold pause at the right moment - but for how long? At some point, the user lets go and loses the game. For more perseverance and as a reward, he gets a free snicker if needed. Not bad! (hae)