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Commerce Comes to Instagram

Instagram isn’t just for sharing photos and DM’ing your naughty bits anymore. Now it’s a place where you can buy a new camera, thanks to Leica.

To promote its Leica C camera, which features WiFi connectivity, Leica — with the help of F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi — created a special Instagram promotion where people can actually purchase the point-and-shoot through Instagram. To purchase, you first have to register on Arco, a Brazilian tech startup that enables purchasing on Instagram, then follow the new @Leicabrasil account on Instagram. Leica will start filling its Instagram feed today with photos taken with the Leica C. To purchase a camera, all you have to do is comment “Purchase” on one of the photos. As a bonus, Leica will also send a poster of the Instagram photo along with your new camera.

“Arco was the first Brazilian company that succeeded in having a global contract with Instagram that allows users to buy and sell things through the social network,” explained Theo Rocha, creative director at F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi. “Knowing about this initiative was essential to make this idea come true — what we did differently with this campaign was using the world’s most popular social network of photos to launch a camera.”

This is a smart, new way for a camera company to bring a retail element to Instagram in a way that feels native to the Instagram experience. It will be interesting to see if (or, rather, when) more brands, especially fashion companies, try do bring purchasing ability to Instagram with the help of tools like Arco. According to Rocha, Arco is still very new in Brazil, but is gaining some steam.

“We believe retail on Instagram is the future — an interactive, fun and easy way of buying things you like.”

Watch the campaign video below:

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