A Peek into Instagram Ad Performance

After introducing its first ads on Nov. 1, Instagram is starting to share some performance stats.

The company took to its blog to shed light on metrics like reach, ad recall and awareness, and the results are promising. For example, Levi's reached 7.4 million people in the U.S. across a nine-day period in an ad campaign that targeted people aged 18-34. In addition, Ben & Jerry's reached 9.8 million people in the U.S. over an eight-day period in a campaign that targeted 18-35 year olds.

The data also shows that Instagram ads are memorable. In fact, there was a 32-point lift in ad recall across all four initial ads for people who were repeatedly exposed to a particular campaign versus control groups. Ben & Jerry's, for instance, ran an ad for its Scotchy Scotch Scotch-flavored ice cream, and the results reveal that 17 percent of people who saw a single ad not only became aware of the new flavor, but also associated it with the brand.

"Ads on Instagram are designed to support brands focused on reaching large audiences with memorable, high quality content," the Instagram blog states. "We think this aligns with the way people and brands already use Instagram - sharing photos and videos that capture a moment, inspire others, or shift perceptions."

It is important to note, however, that Instagram's ad campaigns are still in a testing period. Because of this, the image-based social network will continue to monitor and optimize its ad product to make it more successful before it opens up to the public.