With its unique focus on connecting the world through immersive video and imagery, Instagram has become the go-to platform for advertisers and brands to share their stories and inspire action. From sports fans to lovers of luxury, the visual nature of Instagram allows people from all over the globe to share their passions and build relationships in fresh, inspiring ways—especially auto enthusiasts and car shoppers.

In our latest passion insights, Driven by Instagram, we explore how Instagram has evolved into the quintessential place for brands to connect with our community of 800 million¹ and their various passions—whether it's what they’re wearing, what they’re listening to or what they’re driving.

Auto marketers have long used visual storytelling through print and TV advertising to connect with their audiences—inspiring them to visit their local or regional dealership to purchase a vehicle. On Instagram, this ad experience has been completely reimagined and given a breath of fresh air.

Through feed, live or stories, auto brands on Instagram are now able to reach the right people in more relevant and immersive ways—whether they're following their favorite vehicle manufacturers, sharing videos from a recent road trip or looking to purchase a new car at their local dealership. No matter the demographic or road taken, Instagram offers advertisers the perfect way to target and reach people from all drives of life.

Through popular hashtags like #carswithoutlimits² and #carsofinstagram,³ car enthusiasts are connecting with others who share their passion for the #carlifestyle⁴ on Instagram. Made up of car owners and auto admirers,⁵ these enthusiasts are avid followers of auto accounts on Instagram. They like to use stories to go behind-the-scenes with their favorite brands and influencers—making them feel more connected and involved.

And while these two groups both share an equal interest in cars, how they engage with this passion are quite different from one another. For car owners, they share their own experiences with other enthusiasts (posting about what their car means to them), while admirers post photos of their dream rides.

Understanding the different types of auto fans on Instagram can help advertisers better tailor their content to maximize results—like Mercedes-Benz UK did during an ads in stories campaign for its C-Class Cabriolet. Through Instagram Stories, Mercedes-Benz UK was able to create a beautiful and inspiring piece of ad creative that evoked the thrill of driving and the lifestyle that comes with the C-Class Cabriolet—resulting in a 9-point lift in ad recall.

Whether the content being shared on Instagram Stories is paid or organic, the opportunity for auto brands to leverage the endless creative possibilities of the vertical format has never been more real—especially as advertisers look for new ways to engage audiences and drive more sales.

Communities thrive on storytelling, and Instagram is the perfect place to share those stories and bring them to life-especially through video. As more and more people continue to watch video on their mobile devices, it's estimated that by 2020, 75% of all mobile data traffic will be video⁶—playing an increasing role for shoppers when deciding what to buy.

To keep up with the 61% of car buyers who say that video plays an important role in their shopping experience,⁷ auto brands will have to think of new ways to create content that stands out and inspires shoppers on Instagram beyond traditional video advertising.

To learn more about the driving community on Instagram and how automotive brands can leverage the power of our platform, download our latest passion insights, Driven by Instagram. And to see how companies like Renault France (@renault_france) and Maserati (@maserati) are using Instagram ads to connect with car shoppers all over the world, check out their success stories here.