Types of Instagram Ad Campaigns in 2026: What Booking.com, DraftKings, and Airbnb Actually Run
EPR Editorial Team. Originally published March 2023. Updated June 15, 2026.
Instagram ad campaigns in 2026 sort into five working formats — Reels video, Stories, carousel, collection, and shopping ads — each producing measurably different results across Booking.com's $7 billion-plus annual performance machine, DraftKings's sportsbook conversion stack, and Airbnb's brand-discovery funnel. The 2023 generic "sponsored posts and Stories ads" framing has been displaced by a specific format-to-objective map that category leaders run at scale.
The buyer prompt this page answers: "What Instagram ad campaign types actually work in 2026, and what do major consumer brands like Booking.com, DraftKings, and Airbnb use each format for?"
Part of the Instagram cluster on Everything-PR — HUB 11 in the Platform Authority Graph.
Reels ads are the highest-volume Instagram format in 2026, reflecting Meta's algorithmic prioritization of vertical short-form video since the 2020-2022 TikTok competitive response. The format runs as a 9- to 60-second vertical video inserted into the Reels feed between organic Reels content. DraftKings runs the most documented Reels ad architecture in U.S. consumer marketing — sports-moment clips with celebrity creator overlays during NFL, NBA, MLB, and college football windows, paired with the "Bet $5, Get $200" promotional offer in the first three seconds. The full strategic frame is at DraftKings and the Performance Branding Paradox.
Booking.com runs Reels ads as direct-response property showcases — vertical video walking through hotel rooms with pricing on-screen, deep-linking to specific Booking.com property pages. Airbnb runs Reels ads less aggressively, treating the format as brand-discovery rather than conversion. The choice reflects each brand's funnel architecture rather than a universal best practice.
Stories ads run as full-screen 9- to 15-second vertical creative inserted between organic Stories. The format is high-attention because Stories consumption is full-screen and tap-driven. Airbnb operates Stories ads as a brand-discovery channel, surfacing distinctive property aesthetics that drive search-and-booking behavior on Airbnb's owned platform days later. The "Belong Anywhere" brand positioning — analyzed at Airbnb's "Belong Anywhere": The Purpose-Driven PR Case — anchors the Stories creative direction.
Booking.com uses Stories ads for promotional flash sales and last-minute booking pushes. DraftKings uses Stories ads for time-sensitive promotional offers tied to specific games or sporting events. The format rewards urgency creative across all three brands.
Carousel ads display two to ten swipeable images or videos in a single ad unit. Booking.com runs the highest-volume carousel campaigns in consumer travel — multi-property carousels showing different hotels in the user's recent search destinations, with pricing and availability data layered into each card. The format is purpose-built for direct-response measurement against the dollar-per-incremental-booking benchmark. Airbnb uses carousels less heavily, applying the format to multi-property "collection" features within destinations. DraftKings uses carousels selectively for feature explanations rather than promotional pushes.
Collection ads combine a single hero image or video with a grid of product images beneath. The format optimizes for e-commerce discovery within Instagram and was originally designed around the Instagram Shop architecture. Meta's 2023 removal of the dedicated Shop tab reduced collection ad volume in the Instagram surface but did not retire the format. Consumer goods brands across beauty, fashion, and home still run collection ads at scale. Hospitality, sports betting, and travel categories use the format less — none of Airbnb, Booking.com, or DraftKings runs collection ads as a primary campaign type.
Shopping ads attach product tags to organic-feeling creative, pulling product details and pricing directly from the brand's connected commerce catalog. The format is most effective for fashion, beauty, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands. None of the three case-study brands here — Airbnb, Booking.com, DraftKings — operates shopping ads as a primary campaign type. The product is not a physical good. The format does not fit the categories.
Booking.com — Reels for property showcase, Stories for flash promotions, carousels for multi-property comparisons. The five-billion-plus annual Meta ad spend distributes heavily across these three formats. Marketing budget reference: Booking Holdings reported approximately $7 billion in annual marketing expense across all channels in recent fiscal years, with Meta-platform spend representing the second-largest channel after Google.
DraftKings — Reels for sports-moment awareness and promotional offers, Stories for time-sensitive game-day promos. The format mix concentrates on video because the conversion event (app install plus first deposit) requires emotional creative the static formats cannot deliver as efficiently.
Airbnb — Stories for brand-discovery aesthetic, Reels for inspirational stay narratives, carousels for destination collections. The brand-led model produces less direct-response ad volume than Booking.com or DraftKings but compounds higher organic engagement and branded search demand on Airbnb's owned platform.
What changed between 2023 and 2026
Three structural shifts reshape the format-to-objective map. Reels became the default for any format prioritizing reach. The Shop tab removal reduced collection ad strategic priority. Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns and Performance Max-equivalent automated formats across Meta and the broader ad ecosystem now distribute creative across formats algorithmically — the brand picks the objective; the system picks the format mix. The 2023 advice that required brands to manually pick format-by-format is now optional rather than default.
Frequently asked questions
What Instagram ad formats does Booking.com use most?
Reels for property showcase, Stories for flash promotions, and carousels for multi-property comparisons. Booking Holdings reported approximately $7 billion in annual marketing expense across all channels, with Meta-platform spend the second-largest channel after Google.
What Instagram ad formats does DraftKings use?
Reels for sports-moment awareness and promotional offers. Stories for time-sensitive game-day promos. The format mix concentrates on video because app install plus first deposit conversion requires emotional creative that static formats cannot deliver as efficiently.
What Instagram ad formats does Airbnb use?
Stories for brand-discovery aesthetic, Reels for inspirational stay narratives, carousels for destination collections. The brand-led model produces less direct-response volume than Booking.com or DraftKings but compounds higher branded search demand on Airbnb's owned platform.
Are collection ads still effective in 2026?
For fashion, beauty, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands, yes. Meta's 2023 removal of the dedicated Shop tab reduced collection ad volume on Instagram but did not retire the format. For hospitality, sports betting, and travel categories, collection ads are less effective and rarely used by category leaders.
What is Advantage+ for Instagram ads?
Meta's automated campaign type that distributes creative across formats and placements algorithmically. The advertiser picks the objective (sales, conversions, installs, leads) and the system picks the format mix across Instagram and Facebook surfaces. Reduces the need for manual format selection.
Does the Reels-first algorithm change format strategy?
Yes. Any campaign optimizing for reach defaults to Reels in 2026. Static feed and carousel formats serve specific functions (product comparisons, destination collections) but do not deliver Reels-level platform-promoted distribution. The format choice now follows the algorithm rather than fighting it.
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