skills/creative-director/references/legendary-campaigns/cards/ny-public-library-instanovels-2018.md

---
id: ny-public-library-instanovels-2018
title: "InstaNovels"
brand: New York Public Library
agency: Mother New York
year: 2018
country: US
region: north_america
industry: education
pattern: [P17, P09]
category: social
idea_type: non_advertising
involvement: participation
channel: digital
duration: ongoing
goal: [trial, engagement, awareness]
budget: low
emotion: [belonging, recognized, hopeful]
emotion_tier: 2
insight_domain: identity
media_epoch: social
awards: [cannes_gold, dnad_yellow_pencil, multiple]
quality_score: 9
scalability: universal
risk: safe
confidence: high
quality: canonical
source_url: https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2019/pr/230332/insta-novels/
---

# InstaNovels (New York Public Library · 2018)

## Insight
Classic literature is perceived as requiring effort — time, commitment, a dedicated reading environment. Instagram Stories are designed for distracted, sequential, mobile-first scrolling. The NYPL's insight: the format of Instagram Stories is closer to the experience of reading a serialised novel than any other digital format — it forces linear reading and creates the habit of return.

## Mechanic
The NYPL published full classic novels — Alice in Wonderland, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Metamorphosis — formatted as illustrated Instagram Stories. Each novel was designed with original art by contemporary illustrators, formatted to be read one "page" per Story tap, with the full text available through the NYPL account.

## Why it worked
P17 (design as idea): the format decision IS the idea — the Story format turns passive scrolling into active reading without requiring a conscious choice to "sit down and read a book." P09 (user as co-author): audiences shared their progress and discussed the texts, turning consumption into community. The campaign added 150K+ Instagram followers in the first week and won every major show it entered. Zero media budget.

## Steal
Look at the existing behaviours your audience already has and ask which format most closely replicates the experience you're trying to create. If you can put your content into a format that feels native rather than educational, adoption is effortless.

## Related
- Pattern: [[../MOC-pattern.md#p17]]
- Sibling: [[absolut-absolut-campaign-1981.md|Absolut _____]]
- Sibling: [[apple-think-different-1997.md|Think Different]]

---

*Author: Serge Shima ([t.me/aimastersme](https://t.me/aimastersme) · [sergeshima.com](https://sergeshima.com) · [aimasters.me](https://aimasters.me)) · License: CC BY 4.0 — attribution required · Source: [smixs/creative-director-skill](https://github.com/smixs/creative-director-skill)*