Instagram-Style Photography Makes Its Way Into Brand Marketing

The saturated, filtered, and informal style of Instagram photos is shaping the way we see the world, and the way advertisers use photography to connect with fans. Forward-thinking brands are moving away from staged, overly-polished product photography and towards a more realistic (yet stylized) aesthetic—not just in their social media photos, but in print material and ad campaigns. The move comes not just from a desire to remain au courant, but from demonstrated results, namely the “likes” awarded to certain photos displaying this style on brands’ social pages. The Instagram-style photos are seen as more authentic and true-to-life. They showcase product, yet don’t barrage the viewer with heavy-handed calls to action.

“We kind of call it ’perfectly imperfect.’ People will call you out pretty easily if your food looks overly propped or overly perfect because that’s not how it is,” said Nathan Iverson, EVP and Design Director at Deutsch LA. (Their clients include Taco Bell, which has been one of the leaders in using Instagram-style photography.) Clearly, the effectiveness of this style of photography is reshaping attitudes about what makes a marketing photo successful, both in a social media context and in the more traditional realm of print advertising.

At Kitchen, we’ve been tapping into this aesthetic for some time in both our social media campaigns and in more formal, styled photos. Check out some of our work below.

Story via AdWeek.