Purpose – The purpose of this study is to analyse the differences in click-through rate, attention, memory (recall and recognition), and attitude between static and animated advertisements on the social media platform Instagram. This study addresses whether static or animated advertisements are more effective on social media.

Research questions – How can animations affect click-through rates compared to static graphics on Instagram advertisements? How can animations affect Instagram users’ memory of advertisements compared to static graphics? How can animations affect the attitude of Instagram users towards the ad compared to static graphics?

Method and implementation – Two primary research studies were conducted: an in-depth experiment and an Instagram A/B test. In the in-depth experiment, 30 Jönköping University students were asked to scroll through an imitated Instagram feed with either animated or static ads and then fill out a questionnaire to measure their attention, recall, recognition, attitude, and click-through intention. In the Instagram A/B test, a marketing campaign was conducted on Instagram. An animated and a static version of an ad was used, and the click-through rates were measured.

Findings – Compared to static graphics on Instagram advertisements, animations did not yield significantly higher click-through rates, click-through intention or attention. Animations also do not significantly affect the users’ recall, recognition or attitude. The findings contribute to the limited understanding of how animated Instagram ads affect customer behaviour and have laid grounds for further researchin the research area.