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Halloween never disappoints. Neither does my favorite social platform, Instagram. So it’s no surprise the visual storytelling app decided on Halloween to launch its video channel to capture all those princesses, doggy costume parades, and trick or treat pranks.
Source: Instagram
For 24 hours, the platform served up a curated feed of the best Halloween videos across America. From Facebook HQ, a costumed team worked to offer up the best content through mid-day Sunday.
Users could submit their Instagram photos with the hashtag #IGHalloween. And the functionality is the same, so if you’re bored by the pumpkin carving video – easily swipe to the next. Love that hot dog dressed pup – tap to like it and you can still click through to the user who posted it.
Source: Instagram
And it wasn’t just entertainment. The goal was to strike a healthy balance between entertainment and news. With Over 400 million active monthly users, Instagram has outpaced Twitter. It’s quickly becoming a platform for real-time content. This pop-up video launch plays into this strategy which will certainly grab the attention of other visual platform competitors, like Snapchat.
So all are wondering, what next holiday or event will spur another video channel? Or will this become a permanent fixture on Instagram? I like it. It does what social media is meant to do – to entertain and connect. My fear is that it may become a new type of ad buy – sponsored by the Coca-Colas of the world.
Miss the videos? Here’s what CNN shared as the Top 10.