With most millennials and Gen Z shifting all of their social media to Instagram nowadays, it’s no surprise that major brands are looking for ways to advertise to these potential consumers. From stories to sponsored posts, Instagram is quite literally the best way to reach people in this demographic.
But advertisers face a pretty difficult challenge when it comes to marketing on the mobile social network. Conventional ads and posts don’t work on its users. Which is understandable - how many times have you actually stopped on an ad on Instagram when scrolling through your feed? If you’re like me, chances are almost never. And it’s widely known that millennials distrust traditional advertising, unless it’s by their favorite online influencer.
Consequently, businesses and brands have gotten smart about what Instagram users really care about. Influencers have hundreds of thousands of followers (if not millions) who worship them like deities and will wear anything they wear, or buy anything they endorse. This is the new face of advertising, and Honda wanted a part.
Going Live
Instagram is the latest social media platform to incorporate live streaming, and just like Facebook, live video gets a priority in the Story feed. This presents a great opportunity to market a brand since almost everyone will see it, like it and share it.
At this year’s annual LA Auto Show, Honda wanted to work with famous Instagram influencer LeJuan James (@lejuanjames) to feature their new 2019 cars. LeJuan is a Latino-focused social media personality with over 2 million followers on the platform. The idea was to have him introduce two new Civics along with a Motor Trend and several Honda representatives, all while two iPhones captured live video and used a split screen to show multiple angles.
Honda reached out to ad agency ORCI, which contacted Andrew Oleck, Live Producer for this show and owner of Bayview Drive Films in Los Angeles. Here’s the solution he devised:
- Concept: Instagram Live on LeJuan James’ profile.
- Challenge #1: Instagram Live doesn’t allow streaming from custom RTMP sources, which means no professional cameras or switchers can be used.
- Challenge #2: The LA Convention Center has poor Internet service due to thousands of attendees with smartphones and multiple booths sharing one convention Internet.
- Solution: Use 2x iPhone XSs to stream to Instagram: one to LeJuan James’ own profile and one to Honda Latino’s. LeJuan brings in Honda Latino’s live stream using Instagram Live’s join feature, which allows two video sources to be combined on the same stream.
- Use the Link Pro router, a bonded 4G LTE WiFi access point to combine multiple cellular modems into a single Internet connection.
Going Live
“We happened to be there on the Thursday before the show, which was a Press Day without all of the regular attendees of the weekend. But even then, I knew there was going to be a lot of people in the convention center using 4G on their phones, as well as all of the WiFi signals coming from every booth. As live producers, we needed a guarantee that there wouldn’t be any issues for our stream in there.” - Andrew Oleck, founder of Bayview Drive Films.
- Setup
- 2x iPhone XS
- 2x DJI OSMO Mobile 2 gimbal
- iRig Pro audio
- Teradek Link Pro router
- 4x Teradek Node USB modems
- 2x Verizon USB modems
The stream was done directly on LeJuan’s and Honda Latino’s Instagram jointly, with one operator for each iPhone. Connected to one iPhone was an iRig Pro receiver that looped in the wireless lavalier mic on LeJuan.
Both phones connected to the Link Pro router, which provided Internet from Andrew’s several 4G LTE modems. Link Pro is a bonded, load balancing router that can support up to six 4G LTE cellular modems and combine them into a single, robust WiFi Internet connection.
Nodes are high-powered 4G modems that are 3 times stronger than normal carrier-branded modems. In challenging broadband environments like remote locations or congested areas, they’re the perfect devices for receiving a 4G connection. Multiple Internet connections guarantee that if any modems are facing issues, the others will provide backup, ensuring a smooth and flawless live stream.
Why Use Bonding
“We’re doing a live stream for a new client and a big-name influencer. We only get one chance to do this right. Unlike film shoots, there’s no reshoots or retries in a live stream, so we need to have the right tools for the job. I don’t know of any product that delivers as perfectly as the Link Pro and Nodes. With all of the 4G congestion at the convention, we absolutely needed to have this to get the job done right.”
“Brands are working more and more with Instagram influencers these days, because they know that’s the way to connect with consumers in the mobile age. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook all have these features that allow influencers to interact with their fans, which make for excellent marketing outlets for major companies. Social media platforms are always building new features to increase engagement. Bonded routers like the Link Pro will be critical for making Instagram live campaigns successful.”