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Example of sponosored ads on Instagram: Post (left), Story (right).
Sponsored content on Instagram is when brands or social media users pay to promote their content to a wider audience. You may not be following a brand or user, but because you are in their target demographic for reach, you may see the post in your feed.
This study sought to analyze two specific design styles that brands use in their sponsored ads: the snapshot and Canva aesthetics. Although the study may provide valuable insight into consumer preferences, this research lacks external validity as findings are based on interviews with ten young adults aged 18-24, and this population is not representative of the wider population.
The following information outlines how and when business accounts on Instagram can utilize these aesthetics.
The Snapshot Aesthetic
What is the snapshot aesthetic?
The snapshot aesthetic is explained in various studies, many explaining this form of photography using a different title. Essentially, the snapshot aesthetic is a type of photography focused on relatability where images look as if they have been captured by the average consumer (Yang et al., 2021). Scholars describe this aesthetic as:
Casual & unintentional (Serafinelli, 2018)
Smartphone photos (Zappavigna, 2016)
User-generated, shot on iPhone (Colliander & Marder, 2018)
Visual demonstration of the Snapshot Aesthetic
Example of the Snapshot Aesthetic
When should brands use the snapshot aesthetic?
According to the findings of this study, brands who target women should use the snapshot aesthetic. 100% of female participants in this study appreciate the snapshot aesthetic for a variety of reasons:
"“I think it makes me more likely to consume, than the more sterile, white background model type thing because it feels like you could wear it in real life. Or a lot of the times when I see it, the white background sterile, I can't picture myself wearing that out.”
“It’s so aesthetically pleasing. I just want to look at it all day. I think it's smart knowing your audience. People in our generation don't want to necessarily be bombarded by all the bright flashy colors and stuff like that, I like the chill, influencer-esque vibe about it.”
"Love. Yeah, I'm a big fan of this style. It's very cohesive between all of them…I think it makes brands feel more approachable, warm, and…I feel like envision myself either wearing the product, using the product or service, or whatever they're trying to sell."
According to the findings of this study, brands who are presenting a product should use this aesthetic. Participants who were labeled as product or image-centric, meaning they look for the product to be highlighted in an engaging way or seek inspiring and relatable visuals to capture their attention, prefer the snapshot aesthetic. Participants who preferred this aesthetic stated:
“I like it. I think it's a great way of showcasing their product in the real world.”
“I wouldn't have known it was an ad if I didn't see the sponsored like under it…It seems more real, I guess.”
“I feel like it just blends into my feed. I usually read everything so I would see it's an ad. I kind of like it, honestly.”
In summary, brands should use the Snapshot aesthetic if:
They are targeting women
Want to blend into the feed/relate to the audience
Targeting an audience that is image or product-centric
Examples of the Snapshot aesthetic
Example of the Snapshot aesthetic
How to implement the snapshot aesthetic?
It is difficult to provide a one-size-fits-all approach to utilizing the snapshot aesthetic, however, the following best practices can be implemented into a brand's social media marketing to achieve this design style:
Show the product in a real environment as opposed to a studio background
Minimize photo manipulation in order to increase authenticity
Implement user-generated content, collected from previous customers
Take photos as if the average consumer could have taken them (typically on an iPhone)
Incorporate diversity with models to emphasize relatability
Using the brand NOBULL as an example, one can note the implementation of the snapshot aesthetic as opposed to traditional product photography. The image on the left uses a professional camera, showing the product against a white background. Contrastly, the image on the right shows the product in it's natural environment on a real person which increases relatability and potentially affinity with viewers.
Traditional Product Photography
The Snapshot Aesthetic
The Canva Aesthetic
What is the Canva aesthetic?
Canva is a graphic design tool founded in 2012 with the mission of empowering the world to design. The variety of templates available allow brands to drag and drop images into pre-existing designs. Businesses across the globe have adopted Canva as a design tool due to its affordability and streamlined process of creating designs of any size, and the look of Canva advertisements has become recognizable to consumers. Many critics have been vocal about the cookie-cutter aesthetic of Canva, and how brands’ usage of the platform has led to the overuse of designs.
The Canva aesthetic can be defined as graphic and/or text-based information overlaid on photographs made through pre-existing templates on the design tool.
Visual demonstration of the Canva Aesthetic
Example of the Canva Aesthetic
When should brands use the Canva aesthetic?
According to the findings of this study, brands who need to present information to their audience should utilize this aesthetic. Participants who were labeled as price or information-centric, meaning they pay attention to the price of the product, and prefer to know about sales or want a clear portrayal of the brand identity with text overlays such as links to the website, preferred the Canva aesthetic. Participants who preferred this aesthetic stated:
"I like that it sort of makes it more known that it's a company, and not just an Instagram post…I would buy from them. Probably just wouldn't follow the account because it would all just be sales and stuff like that. Because those aren't what I want to look at on my feed, but it gets the message across."
"If I were following them, this would be a much better experience in figuring out what was going on with the company, what they were offering…I think this would be less thoughtful, but more like we're trying to retain their customers type of company. It's more of an informative experience rather than the other one [the snapshot aesthetic] which was more about enjoying the content and realizing a product."
“I like knowing about sales and free shipping and because they say that, I'm more intrigued to go look. It's just I’m a sucker for some lettering.”
In summary, brands should use the Canva aesthetic if:
They are hosting a sale or promotion
Want to increase exposure for brand identity
Targeting an audience that is information or price-centric
Examples of the Canva aesthetic
Example of the Canva aesthetic
How to implement the Canva aesthetic?
The following best practices can be implemented into a brand's social media marketing to achieve the Canva aesthetic:
Use templates on Canva to create content
Create a brand kit to import fonts, color schemes, logos, and more
Highlight a Call to Action (Shop Now, Learn More, Click Here)
Emphasize a sale or promotion with text overlays
Incorporate multiple images, or showcase images in an eye-catching way using graphics provided in Canva
Experiment with the elements tab to find suitable graphics that align with brand identity
Rather than simply dragging and dropping images into a template, brands can create a more personalized design by importing their brand identity and adjusting templates according to their color scheme, fonts, and logos
*Disclaimer: This study lacks external validity as findings are based on interviews with ten young adults aged 18-24, and this population is not representative of the wider population*
To explore the references for this study, navigate to the References tab.
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