Love Runs Deep: Instagram launches its first campaign aimed at marketers

The Love Runs Deep campaign by Instagram is an attempt to highlight the business impact of influencer marketing on the platform.

To celebrate its 10th birthday while reaffirming its commitment to build for the next generation, Instagram has launched Love Runs Deep. The program is built on the insight that influencers inform and inspire their communities through their pursuit of passion, bringing forth unique opportunities for brands to tell their stories. Instagram hopes to redefine the way either end looks at the platform for influencer marketing.

The campaign will include a diverse set of creators such as Masaba and Neena Gupta, Chef Ranveer Brar, Kusha Kapila, cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, Savi and Vid from Bruised Passports and Sakshi Sindwani. It will be promoted through print and digital media, including on the Facebook family of apps. 

As part of the campaign, brands are invited to submit their briefs in the ‘Love Runs Deep challenge’, and 5 of them will be chosen to have exclusive access to 25 creators to work with them free of cost, in addition, to support of $25,000 worth of ad credits to run their campaigns. The brands could be from all over India and could be big or small businesses.

The jury making the selection would include Prabha Narasimhan, Executive Director - Home Care for Hindustan Unilever and Vice President - Home Care, Unilever South Asia; Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President & Head E-commerce, Samsung India; Harish Narayanan, CMO, Myntra; Prasanth Kumar, CEO - GroupM, South Asia; Rajdeepak Das, CCO and MD, Leo Burnett, South Asia; and Neha Markanda, Head of Business Marketing, Facebook India and the selection would be done on the basis of originality, creativity, suitability for mobile and expected business outcome.

Sandeep Bhushan, Director and Head of Global Marketing Solutions, Facebook India, spoke about the campaign, “Instagram is the place where people express themselves creatively, and there’s a natural affinity to interact with public figures, creators and brands. We want to spur this interaction between creators and brands, in a way that redefines the ecosystem, and allows stories to be told with greater business impact.”

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Masaba Gupta, fashion designer and owner of her brand House of Masaba, reiterates the ethos of the campaign, saying, “Instagram is like my second home and it’s allowed me to build a community that makes it feel like family. I am because they are. And so I’ve partnered with Instagram to show that love really does run deep, far and wide.”

This campaign is set in the backdrop of the insights of the BCG-Facebook 'Turn The Tide' report, stating that digital influence has increased significantly in urban consumers - up to 70% for mobiles, 55%-60% for apparel, and up to 20-25% for the non-food CPG categories. 

Prasanth Kumar, CEO - GroupM, South Asia being part of the selection jury, added to this insight. “As the economy unlocks and brands look to capitalize on the resurgence in consumer demand. We believe that influencer marketing will play a vital role in telling brand stories in an effective way, something we need more of this year. Together with Instagram, we want to create effective methods for Indian brands to reach various audiences. With our joint efforts, we hope to see this campaign elevate the creativity and ingenuity with which brands collaborate with creators and set new standards for the industry.”

The campaign has begun, and while the entries close on November 13, it will continue for a duration of 4 months.