Dive Brief: 

• Now that the first Instagram ads have run, brands are crunching the numbers to measure their success. 
• The first brands — Michael Kors, Lexus, Levi's and Ben & Jerry's — all saw increased likes, comments and follows. Michael Kors, the very first brand to advertise on the platform, saw a 370% increase in likes and an increase in followers 16 times greater than normal. 
• The increase in likes, comments and follows are nice, but Instagram is focusing on metrics that brands care more about, like frequency distributions, changes in brand recall, awareness and association, and, eventually, sales.  

Dive Insight: 

Instagram has picked up on a key component of what really matters in social media marketing and is surveying brands the day after an ad runs. Brands will appreciate the insight Instagram provides beyond likes, comments and follows, which will likely translate into more ad dollars. As the new ad options roll out further, it will be interesting to see more brand results.