Instagram ads are awful.

With additional contributions from Kevin Systrom.

[instagramadsareawful]

“Instagram isn’t just photographers or tech mavens in Silicon Valley”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“Images are a universal language”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“When you are an innovator, that’s awesome.”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“Sometimes taking a photo, looking down at it, editing it, adding a caption, whatever, actually makes you appreciate the moment that you’re in.”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“We like to say Instagram makes the world feel simultaneously large, in the sense that you can connect with anyone, and very small in the sense that you’re right there with them.”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“Can you connect with people all around the world and learn about new ideas, new cultures, break down barriers?”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“We’re getting closer to capturing every experience in the world”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“Imagine a world where virtual reality exists and is ubiquitous, and we have whatever device we need to experience it. How cool would it be if you were at a concert in the countryside and I could be there with you – hearing, smelling, seeing it, too?”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“Calling Instagram a photo-sharing app is like calling a newspaper a letter-sharing book, or a Mozart grand era symphony a series of notes. Instagram is less about the medium and more about the network. If you’re a business, we have a product so you can buy ads. If you’re a consumer and want to entertain, you can record a 15-second looping video. If you’re an artist and want to do a piece of conceptual art, there’s a place for you, too. ‘Photo sharing’ misses the nuance.”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“If you ask someone on the street in India if they use Instagram, they will say no – so that’s an opportunity for us.”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“Our brains are primarily visual. Letterform was just a hack, until people worked out how to communicate more perceptually.”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“Most of the companies I interact with worry more about getting something that works with consumers, because if you don't get consumers no one will want to advertise with you”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“Instagram is special because it's in the moment and the photo you're seeing from your friends is live.”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“We want to make sure that people are investing these assets in Instagram so that five or 10 years down the road they feel they've got something really useful, not saccharine or overbearing in any way.”

[instagramadsareawful]

“There's no one person that can figure out what you should be looking at.”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“There’s such a wealth of humanity inside Instagram and we need to make sure people can uncover all of those passions and interests”

- Kevin Systrom

[instagramadsareawful]

“If you ask users what they hate most, it’s not having relevant ads being served to them.”

- Kevin Systrom