In May this year, Entrepreneur India ran an interesting article where they compared Tik Tok to Instagram. Both apps operate on the same principle of empowering individuals who have no prior experience or training to create instant content and share it with their network. Unfortunately, this article came a little too soon, as, in July, Tik Tok was officially banned by the Government of India. 

“With this, came the end of a cringe-filled era.” 

Said a group of people who secretly enjoyed such videos. 

Affinity in Diversity?

We have often heard that India is a diverse country, but just how diverse is it? 

Tik Tok penetrated beyond Tier III cities, a feat which many social media platforms are miles away. The question of the hour is, with Instagram Reels, will we see a deeper penetration into India’s impenetrable sections? Or will we see people getting bored of old-wine-in-new-wineskin once they realize the novelty is gone?

Whatever the case, since the ban by the Government of India, we have witnessed a plethora of apps offering similar gratification flooding the market; Instagram Reel, also known as Cenas in Brazil being the most prominent of them all. The affinity towards the format, popularized by Tik Tok is here to stay and will continue to thrive till we see the next new innovation.  

15 Seconds of Fame?

While the next new innovation is somewhere in the future, for now, let’s explore what Instagram Reel has to offer. Unlike Tik Tok, it boasts of an enormous music library that users can use to create a 15-second video. The AR effects are designed to add a touch of glamour and glory to each content created. 

Monetize to Entice?

A monetized platform is a successful platform! 

We can already see ads on our Instagram Stories. Hence, it is only a matter of time before we see Reel becoming the next big profitable venture. 

Instagram has been at the helm of evolving trends –  from introducing stories to IGTV videos. They have always been able to make the most of an opportunistic time in the market and with Reels they just go on to prove how good they are at it.