This week in social media news, Reddit launches its native video ad platform as part of its ongoing redesign efforts, just as a new study shows that mobile users are willing to watch long-form videos. Facebook is expected to invest up to $2 billion over the next year to develop more exclusive content for its Watch platform, and Snapchat officially debuted its first branded Snappable augmented reality Lens in partnership with Three and its virtual flying pug mascot.

Reddit Rolls Out Native Video Ad Platform

Reddit launched its native video ads platform, with new ads rolling out next week, and brands including Nintendo, Audi and Netflix are already on board. These ads will only be served to users that are using the expanded card display layout of Reddit’s redesign, which is on by default. They will appear in-stream and automatically play without sound.

The is currently the third most popular website behind Google and YouTube, and Reddit reports that its video views have been growing by 23 percent each month since the start of 2018. Current videos average more than five million minutes of views per day, not accounting for spikes in viral content, which can lead to 100 million in a day.


Native Video Ad Study Find Viewers Are Willing To Watch More

Native advertising technology platform Adyoulike released a report that analyzes more than 30 million in-feed video views run across its platform from January to April 2018 to study the rise and performance of native video formats across the open web—specifically on premium publisher environments. Its findings contradict conventional wisdom, which dictates that any native video longer than six seconds is too much.

According to the report, smartphone users may be more likely to spend time engaging with longer videos than short ones if they’re executed correctly. Adyoulike found that 72 percent of mobile users who watch six seconds of a video will continue to view and engage with it for up to 22 seconds. Additionally, mobile and tablet users remain significantly more engaged with 15-22 second videos on premium publisher environments than desktop users.


Facebook To Put Another $1 Billion Into Watch Content

Facebook is doubling down on Watch as a TV-like platform for its massive user base, and analysts expect the social media giant to invest another $1 billion—perhaps $2 billion over the next year—to fund exclusive programming. Although that amount pales in comparison to the $8 billion Netflix is putting into its content, but it does represent a significant push toward original content in an effort to attract ad dollars. However, it is difficult to know what kind of impact Watch shows have on the platform, since its user growth has slowed. Facebook does not provide any official metrics or data for Watch, nor do third-party research companies such as Tubular or Nielsen.


Snapchat And Three Launch First ‘Snappable’ AR Lens

Snapchat launched its first branded Snappable interactive AR Lens today in the UK in partnership with the Three mobile network. The football-themed game features the virtual pet and mascot Puggerfly, which is a pug dog with butterfly wings. The Snappable is timed with the World Cup and follows-up Three’s “Go Binge” campaign where users could raise their own Puggerfly on Snapchat as a virtual pet.

“Since the start of our partnership with Snapchat we have focused on creating innovation and true integration across our campaign, end-to-end,” said Three’s director of brand and communications Kat Ward-Smith in a statement.


Reuters: Global Trust Declines In Social Media As A News Outlet

Across the world, consumers are finding the private nature of messaging apps to be a preferred source for news, according to new research by Reuters Institute. When asked which messaging app users had utilized for the purpose of reading and sharing news, 15 percent said they had used WhatsApp in the last week. Of all the age groups surveyed, those 18-24 use message apps the most for news at 26 percent.

“Somehow WhatsApp seems a lot more private,” one respondent commented. “Like it’s kind of a hybrid between texting and social media. Whereas in Facebook, for some reason it just feels like it’s public. Even if you’re in Messenger.”

Even before the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the use of Facebook for news has dropped an average of six percent since 2016 and dropped by nine percent from 2017 to 2018 in the US. Meanwhile, Instagram and Snapchat news usage rose three percent and two percent respectively in two years.


SnapKit Rolls Out To Developers, Touting Privacy Features

Snap, Inc. officially rolled out its SnapKit on Thursday, allowing third-party users to add features like “sign in with Snapchat” or access AR camera effects. The biggest selling point for developers and consumers is privacy, especially in the wake of GDPR and Facebook’s ongoing list of scandals. Third-party apps can only integrate an optional Snapchat username or Bitmoji, but cannot ask for email addresses or other information. In addition, links to third-party apps are severed if they go unused after 90 days.

“It really became challenging for us to see our users then use other products throughout their day and have to lower their expectations,” Snap’s vice president of product Jacob Andreou told TechCrunch. “[. . .] having to be okay with the fact that all of their information and data would be shared.”


Pandora Adds Snapchat Integration To Share Music With Friends

A new partnership will allow US Snapchat users to share music with their friends. As reported by Billboard, Pandora listeners will soon be able to share music through a “share on Snapchat” option within the app. The music will appear as animated cards, which can be listened to by swiping up.

“This will be a powerful and comprehensive social integration with music,” said Chris Phillips, chief product officer at Pandora. “The Snapchat product experience and user base are primed for sharing, and our collaboration will provide a creative and compelling way to discover and enjoy music in a way that’s intuitive to Snapchatters.”


Snapchat Introduces Offline Sales Impact (OSI) Measurement Tools

Following a successful beta trial, Snapchat marketers in the UK can now access Offline Sales Impact (OSI) tools. The tools are the result of a partnership between Snapchat and LiveRamp and allow marketers to measure how users react to a brand once they leave the app and visit retailers.

“Adding the Offline Sales Impact solution adds another dimension to the way we can help brands evaluate their impact on Snapchat,” said Andy Pang, international head of measurement at Snapchat. “We’ve always known Snapchat has a differentiated audience, and with OSI we can clearly demonstrate how Snapchat introduces new customers and value to a brand.”

Brands in Europe will also be able to measure Snapchat campaigns alongside other marketing channels including TV, radio, print and digital using LiveRamp’s Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM) partner program.


Facebook Can Ban Advertisers Based On Poor Reviews

Users that clicked on a Facebook ad that resulted in a transaction can leave feedback for that business, the company revealed on Tuesday. The good news is, the tool will help Facebook weed out ads that continually misrepresent their products and services. The bad news is, negative reviews may result in a ban.

“We spoke with people who have purchased things from Facebook advertisers, and the two biggest frustrations we heard were that people don’t like ads that quote inaccurate shipping times or that misrepresent products,” Facebook said.

Facebook users can access the feedback tool through their ads activity tab and share their experiences. Advertisers that receive high volumes of negative feedback will be notified by Facebook, along with guidance on how to rectify the situation. If the advertiser does not improve its feedback rating or continues to market in the same way, Facebook said it will take additional action such as reducing the number of ads they can purchase or ban them altogether.


Shoppable Stickers Added To Instagram Stories

Instagram has added shopping tags to brand Stories on the platform, allowing users to tap the icon for more information about a product. Partnering retailers including Adidas, Aritzia and The Kooples can now tag and link directly to their products so users can make purchases without leaving the app.

For now, the new Instagram Stories shopping feature is available only for businesses and not individual creators that could solicit affiliate payments or sponsored products. Brands can link only to products that they sell themselves and not to third-party retailers for the time being, and the feature is free.


Net Neutrality Repeal Takes Effect

On Monday, the FTC officially enacted its Restoring Internet Freedom Order, repealing Obama-era regulations that required internet providers treat all digital content the same. The FTC called them unnecessary, heavy-handed regulations that restricted investment, access and competition among internet providers.

In a press release, the FTC assured US citizens that this new order will increase provider transparency while being held accountable for acts deemed anticompetitive or unfair and deceptive.


Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, June 15. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.