Part of the EPR Instagram cluster. The canonical Instagram entity profile lives at everything-pr.com/instagram.
Updated June 2026. Originally published March 8, 2016. Preserved as a historical EPR reference on early-era brand Instagram strategy through the Staples, Applebee's, National Geographic, and Pabst Blue Ribbon case studies.
As one of the most well-loved social media sites, a great Instagram presence is critical to any brand. While the platform was once associated primarily with smartphone-wielding teens and twentysomethings, the Pew Research Center found that 26% of all adults who use the Internet had an Instagram account at this writing. With this in mind, it's important for brands to not only use the site, but to make their posts stand out. Here are four brands whose Instagram strategies are worth noting.
Staples
Staples has long been seen as a reliable source for business and education needs. Their Instagram presence is consistent with this. Their offerings reflect school and office culture. One popular image described a workday entirely using emojis and asked users to respond with similar comments. This playful approach was a big hit: lots of users chimed in with their own clever emoji replies. Staples also includes photos depicting their products in season-appropriate situations, such as teachers' back-to-school displays and holiday parties, including motivational messages for workplace productivity.
Applebee's
This well-known restaurant chain took a bold move with their Instagram page: their posts consist entirely of user-generated content. Fans of Applebee's can tag photos of their meals with the hashtag #fantographer for a chance to be featured on the account. While this strategy could have backfired, it worked out remarkably well: the account has 238,000 followers. The allure of having one's photo featured on such a popular account has clearly helped them generate more buzz over time.
National Geographic
National Geographic is known for world-class photography, so it's no surprise their Instagram posts are top of the line. What makes this account so special is that the magazine tailors its content to the new medium. They're clearly committed to remaining relevant to a new generation of readers. With 44.8 million followers at this writing, they've done a remarkable job of making their content work online as well as it does in a print magazine.
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pabst Blue Ribbon's Instagram page is all about creativity. A large portion of their posts consist of artistic uses of their instantly-recognizable logo: Pabst tattoos, murals, iron-on patches, guitar decals and even cookie decorations can be found amidst photos of people enjoying the beverage. This quirky approach demonstrates that the brand is interested in self-expression, a move sure to make them even more popular among their most loyal consumer base.
What Brand Instagram Looks Like Now (Viewed from 2026)
The 2016 case studies in this piece — user-generated content, signature visual identity, season-aware feed planning, fan-as-content engine — are now baseline brand discipline. The strategic question has moved on. In 2026 the question isn't whether to run a great Instagram feed; it's how that feed contributes to a brand's Citation Share inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. See the canonical Instagram entity profile and the 2026 brand playbook for the current frame.
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
