Instagram becoming familiar tool connecting users with companies

Meta Korea's regional director Jung Ki-hyun speaks during a virtual conference, Tuesday. Courtesy of Meta Korea

By Baek Byung-yeul

Instagram, a social media platform of U.S. tech giant Meta, is gradually becoming a useful tool in Korea to bring consumers and companies closer together, the head of Meta's Korean branch said Tuesday.

“Instagram is evolving into a space that makes personal connections with brands and these brands are also trying to come up with better products by communicating with consumers on Instagram,” Jung Ki-hyun, regional director of Meta Korea, said during an online conference with local media.

Meta Korea said its own survey conducted in 2020 showed 90 percent of Instagram users in Korea were following brand accounts. Also, two-thirds of users said they recognized Instagram as a space to communicate with company brands.

The regional director cited LG Electronics as a good example of a company utilizing Instagram as a promotional tool.

The company conducted marketing activity for its premium home appliance brand LG Objet Collection using Instagram's augmented reality (AR) feature. Through the Instagram AR filter, consumers can see how various appliances from the collection will look in their homes.

“Using Instagram's AR feature, users are able to visualize what their homes will look like by placing refrigerators, dishwashers and other home appliances of LG Objet. It turned out that the customer group exposed to this advertising effect showed a higher purchase rate than those who did not. Looking at these examples, Instagram's AR filter can be used effectively for business beyond just entertainment purposes,” the director said.

Jung further mentioned the Instagram platform can be widely used for commercial purposes at a time when metaverse technology is gaining attention, as companies can operate their commerce channels on Instagram.

“The shop feature can increase the convenience of shopping by providing information such as product images, descriptions, prices and a link so that consumers can easily purchase the products,” he said.

Instagram also introduced the changes they made to its in-app system such as a short video feature called “Reels.” The company added that Korean users' keywords were focused of terms such as “stay-at-home” or “home interior” due to situations arising from the prolonged pandemic.