Meta just launched Instagram Rings, a new creator award program - but there's a problem. The promotional campaign bears an uncanny resemblance to the horror film The Ring, complete with dark aesthetics and ominous imagery that's more likely to frighten users than celebrate creativity. With star-studded judges including Spike Lee and Marques Brownlee, the initiative promises physical rings and special profile perks for winners, but the bizarre marketing choices are stealing the spotlight.
Meta just dropped what might be the most confusing marketing campaign of the year. The company's new Instagram Rings creator awards program should be a celebration of digital creativity - instead, it looks like something straight out of a horror movie.
The initiative brings together an impressive panel of judges, including director Spike Lee, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, and Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Winners receive physical rings plus coveted profile perks: golden ring borders around profile pictures, custom backdrop colors, and personalized like buttons. It's actually a smart play in the creator economy arms race.
But then there's the marketing. Meta somehow decided that the best way to promote creator awards was with visuals that channel The Ring, the 2002 horror film that traumatized a generation with its cursed videotape premise. We're talking dark, ominous imagery with white rings against black backgrounds - the exact aesthetic that made people afraid to watch VHS tapes.
The promotional materials are genuinely unsettling. Banner artwork features stark white rings floating in darkness, while judge photos are bathed in eerie lighting that wouldn't look out of place in a thriller. Even the official announcement video carries that same foreboding tone. It's like Meta's marketing team confused "viral" with "virulent."
What makes this even stranger is how vague the actual program details remain. Meta says the awards celebrate creators "who aren't afraid to take creative chances and do it their way," but what does that actually mean? How many winners will there be? Is this a one-time thing or annual? How long do winners keep their profile perks?
These aren't minor details - they're fundamental questions about a program that's supposedly launching in just days. The promotional video hints at an October 16th announcement, but Meta hasn't confirmed whether that's the reveal date or something else entirely.
