The Biggest And Best Brands You Should Be Following On Instagram

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I wrote a post last summer about the
top 10 brands on Instagram but the world of social media moves fast and since then so many more brands have jumped the ranks to compete with them.

Instagram is a funny social media platform – it really does highlight our generation’s need for “information”. And most of the time that information needn’t be useful, just like magazines of the past – people like to flick through hundreds of posts daily without really ever absorbing anything.

We’ve entered this bizarre swipe-searching, double-tapping era where things have to look pretty and be witty to get a look in. This makes for some well thought-out posts from big brands who want to stay relevant. And some are doing it so well- so here are the biggest and best brands you should be following:

NFL

2.6 Million Followers

The most dominating sport globally on social media (once a year), these guys never get it wrong. I mean, being the organisation behind The Super Bowl clearly helps things – the NFL are just an advertising and branding goldmine.

Playboy

1.7 Million Followers

Say what you like, but these guys aren’t going away any time soon. And social media has done wonders for the Playboy brand – especially platforms like Instagram that allow them to interact directly with their fans through photo sharing, which their content has always been about.

Starbucks

3.6 Million Followers

Their coffee may be average but their marketing is world-class. Coffee is probably the third-most Instagrammed thing after selfies and sunsets, and their captions captivate their followers using witty remarks and daily fun facts. Their stop-motion videos are so simple and also incredibly well produced.

Benefit Cosmetics

1.5 Million Followers

These guys are so good at creating rich content – mainly through customer interaction, and encouraging followers to send them photos of themselves using their products. Seems like appealing to people’s vanity never goes out of fashion. The best example of this was when they asked people to use #realsies when using “They’re Real” mascara. They received over 12K entries and were able to create the collage below on their website.

Vans

2.3 Million Followers

The American apparel brand are killing it on Instagram. This is mainly because they have really strong ties to extreme sports like surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and BMX, giving them reels and reels of content to work off and share to their followers. And to be fair, their images are always pretty slick and envy-inducing.

Mercedes Benz

1.7 Million Followers

One of the most recognised brands in the motoring industry, Mercedes Benz clearly put a huge amount of money into their marketing. They were one of the first car brands to start using social media platforms as a selling tool, using incredibly engaging 14-second Insta videos. They clearly understand the importance of social media to sell lifestyles and cars to millennials.

Adidas Originals

4.1 Million Followers

It’s no surprise that one of the world’s largest lifestyle brands features on this list. They give a first glimpse at new releases through this medium. Instagram creates a flawless platform for fashion brands and makes consumers want and need the latest footwear, tees and accessories.

National Geographic

12 Million Followers

Nat Geo have always been renowned for their incredible photography so its a no brainer they’re so popular. Their posts tell stories and are highly engaging and educational in comparison to most Instagram accounts that contain materialistic content. They’ve been around since 1988 globe trotting for our entertainment and are famous for capturing some incredible breathtaking photos.

They’ve gone from magazines to TV channels and now are killing it on social. Consumers are obsessed with their photos of sunsets, cute animals and getting a glimpse at corners of the globe they could only dream of getting to.

Audi

1.5 Million Followers

Providing stiff competition to Mercedes Benz on Instagram, Audi have nailed car porn. They have an incredible dry wit on social, featuring photos of lots of cars driving through sunsets – the equivalent to melted chocolate in the food porn category.

Victoria’s Secret

10.3 Million Followers

They’ve increased their reputation on Instagram with photos of hot babes, airbrushed babes and underwear. Well let’s be honest… we’re only human.

GoPro

4.2 Million Followers

The world’s most versatile camera does nothing but share the most epic content from the internet. Each video and photo makes you feel like your life is less and less complete.

Red Bull

2.2 Million Followers

Red Bull have been kings of marketing since their launch into the global market in 1987. 28 years on and they’re still creating rich, modern content to keep fans engaged. Their sponsorship of extreme sports and music, like VANS, makes for some incredible posts.