As inventor of the world's most versatile camera and category creator in action, adventure and lifestyle photo and video capture, GoPro's social engagement has exploded on Instagram. Our approach is all about powerful creative storytelling that shows an aspirational lifestyle and the platform is the perfect canvas for the incredible content our cameras capture.
We strive to make our users the real stars of the channel. We share the best of the best content, steadily programming user generated content (UGC) and stoking out users by sharing and tagging their content on Instagram for recognition from the entire GoPro community.
And while UGC content is an essential tool in our Instagram arsenal, in 2014 we also learned that our fans don't only want to see other user content. It's essential that GoPro deliver the heritage content that we are known for – surf, skate, auto, snow – as well as new verticals including team sports, wildlife, family and travel. We tap into our internal team and roster of 140 sponsored athletes to provide GoPro-supplied content on our Instagram feed and deliver the aspirational points of view that GoPro is known for.
Instagram is a channel that continues to grow for GoPro in terms of reach. We wrapped 2014 with 3.8M followers, representing a 162% growth EOY 2013. We've also seen a 55% increase and 47% increase in YoY engagement for photos and videos respectively. Instagram is consistently the platform where we see some of our highest engagement with our content.
Back in 2002, GoPro founder Nick Woodman set out on an adventure with a little device that would ultimately change the way we see the world. Now 13 years later, the GoPro machine has taken the world by storm but through a new lens. Powered by our customer's passion, GoPro and its fans have been generating, showcasing and capturing content from perspectives never seen before. We strive to provide the most immersive, engaging content around but that requires more than just one man or company.
Being the world's most versatile camera requires a versatile approach to social and Instagram proves to be an amazing platform to deliver the incredible content our camera captures. We strive to share the best of the best content and from what we've seen in 2014, our users are the real stars of our channel. By posting the UGC (User Generated Content) we receive, we are able to stoke out our users by sharing and tagging their content on Instagram for the whole GoPro family to see thus inspiring a new crop of users to pick up their GoPro.
GoPro's approach to social media and in particular Instagram is about powerful creative storytelling that shows an aspirational lifestyle, which is where the true ROI comes into play by our community telling us we are changing lives and inspiring people to get outside and try something new.
But our fans don't only want to see other user content, as awesome as it may be. It's important to deliver the heritage content that we are known and founded on. Surf. Skate. Auto. Snow. And though we may have grown to become a massive media/tech company, these elements are still at our core and in our DNA. To help us deliver core content is a fleet of loyal athletes that span the globe and live the GoPro lifestyle. But it doesn't just stop at our core content. We've blasted onto the scene of professional sports with the NHL and legendary football coach, John Gruden, and we also have shown what our camera can do for family, education, travel and even wildlife. These new relationships have changed the way fans can see their favorite sports and continue to open up never before seen perspectives.
Some of those never before seen perspectives were showcased during our Instagram takeover by GoPro legends and long-time Media Team members, @brdfrd and @catadromous. These two were able to give our fans a behind the scenes look at how some of the most immersive images were captured for the launch of our HERO4 camera line. The content published during the takeover proved to be some of our most engaging Instagram posts for GoPro in 2014. Knowing that our goal is to empower our fans to generate their own content, the take over also shows our fans they too can capture rad content of their own. It's all about empowering and encouraging our customers to share their stories the GoPro way.
With our always-on marketing approach, GoPro thrives on tapping into our passionate customer following to find and share their stories and memories with our growing community. We are constantly stoking out our fans by engaging with their content and encouraging them to continue to live the GoPro lifestyle.
From families and animals to skydiving and surfing, GoPro has enabled all walks of life to capture and share life's most memorable moments in a truly unique, immersive way.
Instagram remains one of GoPro's fastest growing social channels, with Q4 2014 being especially exciting for the page – we averaged 70,000 NEW followers each week! Engagement overall is also up significantly – our top photo in 2014 received 396K engagements – up 55% from our top performing photo the year prior (177K). Similar results for video: our top performer in 2014 received 248K engagements, up 37% from 2013 (157K). We've grown from 1.4M followers at the end of 2013 to 3.78M followers at the end of 2104, representing a 162% increase in follower base!
Check out some of our most engaged posts for 2014:
Photo
Top 1 – 396K - http://instagram.com/p/tx_dV4Lf5c/?modal=true
Top 2 – 350K - http://instagram.com/p/wmK34xLf4N/?modal=true
Top 3 – 325K - http://instagram.com/p/vqwE-dLf2Q/?modal=true
Video
Top 1 – 248K - http://instagram.com/p/xFnm3VrfwP/?modal=true
Top 2 – 213K - http://instagram.com/p/xARVqVLf00/?modal=true
Top 3 – 201K - http://instagram.com/p/uY6foOrf2y/?modal=true
