With over 2 million active advertisers and 25 million business profiles on Instagram using ads in feed and stories to connect with customers all over the world, more and more are utilising Instagram's unique ad platform to stand out and inspire action – especially in the Asia Pacific region. From global brands to corner shops, businesses continue to be an integral part of the Instagram ad experience. In fact, 80% of accounts on Instagram follow a business,¹ while 200 million actively visit the profile of a business every day² – like Zexy, Tokopedia, Samsung Australia and Netmarble Games.

Looking to increase app installs and reach a wider audience, Japan's largest wedding information service Zexy (@zexyrecruit) used Instagram Stories to create a series of richly expressive Instagram ads to help young couples prepare for their big day.

Featuring an array of wedding dresses from the brand's stylish collection, Zexy created a personalised campaign that targeted engaged women, ranging in age from 23-29, who had not yet installed the Zexy app. In addition to this, the premier wedding service used a Lookalike Audience to expand the campaign and reach people similar to those who had already installed the app – resulting in a 3.1-fold increase in app installs and 4-times increase in click-through rate.³

In an increasingly crowded app market, growing app installs and reaching a new audience is crucial for a business to succeed. That's why Tokopedia (@tokopedia), one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Indonesia, turned to Instagram Stories during its latest Christmas campaign.

Using a colourful and playful video that juxtaposed different festive products with young Indonesians on holiday, the brand ran two mobile app ad campaigns simultaneously across Facebook and Instagram News Feed, as well as Instagram Stories. By taking this multichannel approach, Tokopedia was able to achieve a 54% increase in app installs and a 35% lower cost per install, while reaching an 11% larger audience.

Wanting to generate buzz and purchase intent around its latest premium television, The Frame, electronics giant Samsung Australia (@samsungau) launched a captivating campaign across Facebook and Instagram that emphasised its unique ability to turn into a beautiful photo, print or work of art when not in use.

To highlight the TV's art and design focus and draw in its audience, Samsung created a series of eye-catching video ads and video carousels in feed, as well as vertical video ads in Instagram Stories. Resulting in a 10-point lift in ad awareness and a 4-point lift in purchase intent, the campaign was an incredible success, especially among females aged 25-34 years old.⁴

Teaming up with Facebook Creative Shop to promote its Marvel Future Fight game, South Korean Game developer Netmarble Games (@netmarble_official) used ads in Instagram Stories to attract potential players with engaging video featuring actual gameplay. Cleverly timing the campaign around the action-packed trailer being promoted on TV for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Netmarble Games ran simultaneous ads that used footage of characters from the movie who were also part of the game.

As a result, the campaign successfully reached 2.74 million people in just two weeks and generated an 11-point lift in brand awareness⁵ among its target of men aged 18-44 years old, which led the company to discover that using television with Instagram is more effective than TV alone.

Throughout the world, businesses of all sizes are using Instagram ads to bring their products and services to life in a fresh, immersive way. Whether it's Asia Pacific or other regions across the globe, our passionate community is helping businesses connect with people and the things they care about – inspiring action and driving business results.

To learn how other businesses in Japan, Indonesia and beyond are continuing to find success with ads on Instagram, read their success stories here.