11 Aug The #InstaFamous Report: Which brands are most popular on Instagram?

Who sits at the popular table when it comes to brands on Instagram? Automatically you would recall at least three accounts in your feed that are big-league players, but the results of ‘The Big Five’ might surprise you. How many followers does it take to “be on top” (read in Tyra Banks’ voice #ANTM)? Let’s find out.

Nike

With 20 million+ followers at last count, there’s no wonder that Nike, the king of sports and leisure apparel, is top of the pack. With an international audience following the official @nike account (and another 2.6 million following @nikewomen) the brand must be doing something right. For having such a large following, it’s surprising that the international Instagram account is lucky to upload a couple of images per week.

Image: @nike

Starbucks

While a lot of the top Instagram accounts are dominated by international clothing brands, you might be surprised to know that Starbucks is up there with them. With a captive audience of 5.4 million, the official @starbucks account shares, on average, a new image every day that makes coffee lovers around the world rejoice (and then swiftly head to a local Starbucks for their caffeine fix).

Image: @starbucks

Go Pro

Having recently hit a whopping 6 million Instagram followers, the official @gopro account is a mix of user generated content and official content, and it seems that is what their followers love most about the brand. It’s not uncommon for @gopro to #regram a brilliant photo when they see one, and whether you’re a celebrity or amateur photographer, your chances of being regrammed are the same – it’s all about the image captured on the small but powerful device. Just look at the #gopro hashtag and it’s 13 million uses and you’ll understand that the popularity of this brand is unwavering.

 Image: @gopro

Victoria’s Secret

Beautiful women, sexy lingerie, bright colours and lots of lady abs, there’s no surprise that @victoriassecret is currently beating Nike for the top gong. With 20.2 million followers worldwide and over 2500 gorgeous uploads, it seems the social media and marketing peeps behind the brand deserve a good pat on the back. What’s their secret you ask? We’d say it has something to do with Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid, Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel, don’t you think? #babetown

Image:@victoriassecret

Louis Vuitton

Naturally, the designer brand of designer brands is high on the popularity ladder with 6.4 million on the official @louisvuitton Instagram account and almost 11 million people using #LouisVuitton on their happy snaps. Official brand Instagram accounts are a way for consumers to feel connected to and have a relationship with the brand, without the financial investment, so it just goes to show how popular (and enviable) the brand will continue to be as time moves on. I guess everyone wants a piece of LV in their life, both in Instaworld and in reality.

Image: @louisvuitton 

H&M

Finally, H&M. Who doesn’t love H&M?! The official H&M Instagram account has 8.9 million followers worldwide and with no localised accounts, @hm certainly has a captive audience. Perhaps the number one international brand in fast fashion, followed closely by Topshop, Zara, Forever21 and ASOS, H&M has to stay on its toes to maintain the ‘most popular’ title on Instagram brand for fast, affordable and trendworthy fashion on the international stage.

Image: @hm