For marketers, Instagram has become the stuff of dreams– both in regards to organic and in advertising. The photo sharing platform not only inspires real interaction with an audience, but also build brand awareness and has allowed for some brands to build a carefully crafted lifestyle surrounding its products.

Not all brand accounts are created equal, however. Instagram’s potential for marketers can be quite varied. To offer some insight into how different industries approach the platform, here are some of the Instagram all-stars among the food, retail, and tech industries. 

Food & Drink Brands

Taco Bell

Fast-food chain Taco Bell has been known to be ahead of the social curve – often the first to try out new social channels like Instagram and Snapchat.  In addition to that, Taco Bell is also eager to test out new features. On Instagram, this meant being one of the very first brands to pull together a post with Instagram’s Hyperlapse video feature. Does it make you wanna cruise through the drive-through and order a cheesy gordita crunch?​

Red Bull

Red Bull has always had strong sense of brand confidence. That attitude translates well into the sometimes self-absorbed world of Instagram – where the energy drink brand thrives in being a bit provocative. The photos and videos are extreme and never boring. Red Bull is also excellent at utilizing user generated content in a way that both engages followers and keeps in line with the brand’s image. 

Oreo

Perhaps more than any other brand, Oreo has made a job of turning its product – the iconic chocolate cookie – into everything imaginable for the sake of social media. A scroll through Instagram’s feed will produce visions of Oreo’s made to look like penguins, reindeer, a New Year’s Eve ball drop, and several Halloween-inspired monsters. The brand proves the point that despite having a limited product inventory – creativity can breathe new life into the brand again and again. 

Retail Brands

Burberry

Instagram was made for high fashion – which could be why retail brand Burberry is rocking the platform. The brand has used Instagram to give insider and behind-the-scenes views of fashion shows – one shot of a London show was one of the very first brand videos when Instagram launched the feature.  The attention and respect Burberry has gathered on the platform earned it a spot on a very short list of brands when Instagram ads were introduced in beta. In more recent times, the brand has played with stop-motion videos – something that often looks elementary and playful – in a sophisticated way only Burberry could pull off. 

Threadless

​Online retailer and digital art community Threadless could probably have a killer Instagram account by only posting work from its artists, but the account goes so much further than that. Sure, Instagram is a great place to showcase great art, but its content also showcase Threadless’ weird and quirky sense of humor. Posts include things like deflated Christmas decorations and juggling talents of employees. Not only do the odd posts keep it interesting – it also helps strengthen brand identity. 

Nike

While often attractive, Nike’s products are meant to move. That premise seems to be the basis for the athletic brand’s Instagram. In addition to models wearing Nike garb, the posts also include impressive and exciting physical challenges – usually with a stellar backdrop. It’s this vision for the brand that helps followers think about what they could be doing when they lace up their Nikes—a great marketing tactic.

Tech Brands

Intel

A microchip can sometimes be an abstract concept – hard to describe or project. Chip-maker Intel, however, has found a way to strengthen its brand around its flagship products—and it delivers an Instagram experience worth following. The tech company has been able to tap into is all the possibilities that the chip makes possible. Plus, Intel is able to sprinkle in a few random posts that fit within the brand image, but entertain in a different way. 

General Electric

A conglomerate corporation isn’t likely the first thing to come to mind when thinking of Instagram all-stars. But the company’s innovation in portraying what is possible with GE’s technology makes for an interesting feed. GE also has a talent for encouraging engagement through clever and popular hashtags. The large-scale, impressive shots on the site offer a welcome break from the selfies and food porn on Instagram feeds. 

GoPro

While GoPro has a clear advantage of being able to utilize its own technology to create masterful images and videos – that doesn’t make its Instagram account any less impressive. The feed is full of what you would expect – extreme action shots and beautiful scenery – but there’s a few posts with more substance that might surprise. Like user generated video of a wild elephant rescue, or this girl crossing an item off her bucket list for her birthday.