Instagram has quickly become one of the top teen destinations and Nickelodeon wanted to talk to their audience in a place where content consumption was at an all time high
Knowing how quickly a brand could go from cool to cringe, Nickelodeon set out to use Instagram the way their audience did. Filling their account with memes, pictures of Nick talent having a good time, celebrating birthdays, calendar holidays, and made-up holidays, their Instagram account became a non-stop destination for kid culture shown through a Nickelodeon filter.
Nickelodeon also used Instagram to let kids have a say in what was shown on TV. Through weekly interactive polls, Nickelodeon asked fans a ton of different questions like what their favorite April Fools Day prank was, the best way to win a water fight, and whether it's cooler to surf or skate. Each of these polls received a pay off on TV, sometimes through DIY videos (how to prank your friends) or special episode blocks.
Throughout the year the brand experimented with different in-feed Instagram styles such as visual-first vertical trailers, classic text memes, and vertical disruptors that tricked followers into thinking two separate posts were interacting with each other. With the roll out of Instagram's Story feature, Nickelodeon developed fun and engaging stories for fans to enjoy. The brand built specific narratives through Stories that featured behind-the-scenes of talent, tap-to-advance games, and sneak peeks at the latest Nick episodes and tent pole events.
The Nickelodeon Instagram account exploded with growth! Mid-2016 saw the 3-year-old account surpass 1MM followers and reach 1.6MM by the end of the year. Engagement was also at an all-time high, setting new benchmarks and bringing in positive enthusiasm from Nick fans old and young
