Instagram inks $100-million advertising deal

SAN FRANCISCO -- Instagram has landed a major advertising deal for up to $100 million over the next year from Omnicom.

The deal comes just four months after the popular photo-and-video-sharing service rolled out the first sponsored posts from Michael Kors, General Electric and Levi’s.

Instagram users will begin seeing ads in their streams from brands that work with Omnicom’s media and creative agencies, AdAge reported.

Instagram, which has 150 million active users, is coming into its own as an advertising platform.

“This is an exciting new chapter and we’re looking forward to the great creative content that comes out of this partnership,” Jim Squires, director of market operations at Instagram said in an emailed statement. “Our teams are going to work hand in hand to develop and execute campaigns that provide people with amazing imagery – and drive meaningful business results for advertisers.”

The deal is a major coup for Facebook, which owns Instagram. Instagram’s ad campaigns have so far targeted users based only on age and gender from their Facebook profiles.

Omnicom Media Group will work with Instagram on targeting and measurement, Daryl Simm, CEO of Omnicom Media Group, told AdAge.

“This is another example of the media becoming the message,” Simm said.

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