Instagram is getting in on the fight to supplant Twitter as the channel for quick reactions and cultural commentary with its new app called Threads, and advertisers are already trying the new service. Instagram officially launched the Threads app today, after teasing the Twitter-like service over the weekend and inviting Twitter advertisers such as Netflix, MLB and Bravo in the first tranche of testers.
Also read: See brands’ first posts to Threads
Now, the question is whether Instagram’s Threads can capitalize on a wounded Twitter. Threads is one of several newcomers that have risen up over the past month to challenge Twitter, including Spill, which shot to the No. 1 most downloaded app on Apple over the weekend. Instagram’s Threads has a natural advantage, however, giving accounts access to an instant fanbase from Meta-owned Instagram. The new Twitter-like app has become a personal passion project of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“It makes a ton sense for brands and creators to take their audience from Instagram over to Threads,” said Taylor Michelle Gerard, head of creators and creative and Blue Hour Studios, a social content agency within Horizon Media.
Brands have been seeking Twitter alternatives in the wake of Elon Musk taking control of the company last year. Twitter did not immediately return a request for comment for this story.
Instagram is predominantly used by brands for paid ad campaigns and sharing highly polished posts and short videos; it’s not known for the off-the-cuff banter that came to define life on Twitter, but that could change with Threads, Gerard said. Threads could be like the Instagram comments section, where brands already engage in back-and-forth discussions with followers.
“One way that brands know Instagram is working for them, is when the comments section is popping off,” Gerard said. “If you can take that and transition it over to Threads, which you basically can from the way they set up the app, it seems like it would have a lot of viability for brands and creators.”
Related: Twitter tries to assuage advertisers’ concerns at Cannes
The Instagram Threads and Twitter rivalry has significant ramifications for the internet. Zuckerberg and Musk have long publicly feuded, and in June the two teased the possibility of meeting in the ring for a mixed martial arts fight. Aside from clear personal animosity, though, Twitter and Meta are both powerful platforms that control the media consumption of hundreds of millions of people. In Meta’s case, 3 billion people use its apps daily. Before Musk bought Twitter, when it still had to report quarterly financial results, the site had about 240 million daily active users.
On Wednesday night, after fully launching Threads, Zuckerberg posted to Twitter for what appeared to be the first time in more than a decade. In the spirit of Musk’s Twitter, Zuckerberg did a little trolling by posting the “Spider-Man” pointing meme, perhaps a reference to how Threads just copied Twitter. The post had a million-plus views as of writing.
Musk has destabilized Twitter’s business, however, and advertisers dropped the service in droves. Days after Musk’s deal closed in October, major media holding companies advised brands to avoid buying ads on Twitter. There were concerns about content moderation and fears that Musk could foster a divisive atmosphere on the site unconducive to brand marketing. During the advertiser exodus, Meta’s ad team heard from brands looking for Twitter replacements, according to people familiar with the situation. Twitter had been generating more than $1 billion in revenue a quarter before Musk took over, money that could be up for grabs.
“[Mark Zuckerberg] thinks Elon is polarizing and there’s an opportunity with live conversations around sports and world events so he’s pouncing on the opportunity to take Twitter users,” said Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential, the creator-focused marketing agency. “Zuck rarely fails so it will be formidable and if it integrates Meta’s superior ad products (once scaled) it will be an easy buy for advertisers.”
In May, Musk hired Linda Yaccarino to be the new CEO of the platform, putting in place an advertising veteran who could restore brand interest. Yaccarino started in June. Instagram’s timing with Threads, though, surely complicates her job, but Twitter still fills a unique position in the social media landscape. It’s a real-time, cultural juggernaut that has the ability to build momentum for a new product by giving it immediate attention.
For years, Twitter occupied a niche in social media where brands and media companies could participate in vibrant daily conversation online around sports, media, entertainment and culture. Threads is launching with a few brands in those spaces: Netflix, Bravo and MLB. Notably, Bravo is a part of NBCUniversal, Yaccarino’s previous home before joining Twitter.
Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia, was also among the first adopters on Threads this week.
“There is value in both platforms [Twitter and Threads],” said Ariel Sims, senior VP and head of paid social at Digitas. “Twitter is all about what’s happening right now, with sports, TV shows and news. And we will learn more about Threads as we start to leverage the platform.”
Brands already are reaching out to Digitas to ask about Threads and the potential for advertising there, Sims said.
There are brands and creators, though, looking for platforms that are not the same-old social media apps, Sims said. Over the weekend, Spill, a Black-owned app that has been invite-only since the start of the year, rose to the No. 1 most-downloaded app on the Apple App Store. Spill was co-founded by Alphonzo Terrell, the former head of Twitter’s social media handle, who was caught in Musk’s staff decimation last year. Spill is trying to create an alternative space for communities that have felt marginalized by Musk’s policies, especially Black and LGBTQ+ communities.
Spill saw 130,000 new signups over the past three days, the app announced today. That surge came after Twitter’s latest update: limiting users’ access to tweets. This sent some users looking for new sites to join. Twitter framed the temporary restriction as a way to suss out spam accounts. “Currently, the restrictions affect a small percentage of people using the platform, and we will provide an update when the work is complete,” Twitter’s business team said in a blog post on Tuesday. “As it relates to our customers, effects on advertising have been minimal.”
Advertisers are still being cautious about Twitter and waiting to see what effect Yaccarino has on its operations, Sims said. In the meantime, Digitas is teaching marketers about alternatives, including Spill, Sims said.
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