Instagram is highly popular in Brazil; the app stands within top 3 social media platforms in penetration.

However, among the Brazilian Gen Z, it hadn’t been so hyped.

Main metrics were lower with teens, an alert sign of an uncertain future for Instagram.

In recent years, short video format became a hit. It is the new way people are expressing themselves. TikTok’s astonishing boom is a direct consequence of this behavior. To keep track, Instagram launched its own initiative using the format: Reels.

However, teens didn’t see Instagram as the best place for that kind of content.

They already had a love story with TikTok. And Reels seemed like a fuddy-duddy version of the functionality.

How could Reels relevance increase so that Instagram also became associated with short video format?

How could Instagram surpass TikTok's ubiquity (80% share of voice in the category) with a much smaller investment?

We invited people with a straight concept: Reels it.

In Portuguese, “Mete um Reels”, inspired on a trendy expression of youth.

To start, a link to the audience’s passions seemed a good connecting strategy that would strengthen Instagram as part of the culture.

So, we decoded all kind of relevant contents to teens and defined content verticals as plural as their interests to be activated through the campaign.

But how did we spread the word? Becoming part of the culture trough creators. More than 1000 creators. The campaign with the largest participation of creators in history. Each one in their own territory spread Instagram’s message, created Reels, and inspired their audience to do it too - in concerts, in reality shows, in games, in parties, in the World Cup, and even through an exclusive song produced for the campaign.

Everywhere, all the time, people started creating Reels.

We didn’t want Instagram to be seen as a me too of other platforms. We wanted Reels to become the Instagram of new generations.

To solve Instagram’s challenge, we went back to its essence.

Since its launch, Instagram had a well-defined goal: to democratize the means of producing creative expression by strengthening communities’ ties, regardless the format.

Therefore, more than talking about the current trendy format, people had to remember what the app stands for. Instagram needed to highlight its main differential: connections.

Unlike other video platforms, we invited people not to have a passive experience of scrolling and watching one video after the other, but to intentionally share and create their own genuine content, encouraging interactions with people they care about.

The campaign's message needed to emphasize that any occasion, topic, or experience was worth a Reels creation, the right place to share your life and connect with friends.

Within such a challenging scenario, Reels needed to win Gen Z’s minds and hearts.

This means the campaign not only had to present Reels as a go-to destination to spend time watching short format videos, but also be so interesting users would feel engaged to share and create their own content using the platform.

We questioned why teens were disconnected from Reels and discovered the barriers were related to functionality aspects and lack of relatability.

With them in mind, we noticed that it lacked a more robust connection with Gen Z’s culture, interests, and passions.

Moreover, Reels barriers materialize Instagram’s current challenges.

People feel that it has become a place that shows an unrealistic and idealized life, big productions, and a lot of editing.

To increase Reels relevance, we needed to challenge perceptions associated to Instagram, reinforcing the platform as a lively and welcoming space for anyone to create content.

The campaign was so engaging that all media metrics exceeded expectations: +1.7 billion impressions (+56% planned), 1.2 billion views (+154% planned) and 9.1MM clicks (+263% planned).

For those who recalled the campaign, Instagram dethroned its main competitor and became the top of mind in the short video platform category.

That’s not all. Reels hacked TikTok. The song inviting people to ‘Reels It’ on Instagram ended up in the next-door social media among the most used tracks.

‘Reels It’ is the campaign with the highest engagement in Instagram’s history, transforming Gen Z’s Instagram’s perception and behavior by boosting Reels creation by over 8,6% which represents millions of Reels every day.

More than that: ‘Reels It’ has become part of Brazilian culture. A concept that has turned into a slang.

‘Reels It’ invitation is ongoing with creation rates and watch time continuously increasing even after the campaign ended.