An Ad-Blocking Browser Will Pay Users To View Ads

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Brave’s ad platform officially launched in April 2019.
This article was originally published in June 2018. 

Brave, a web browser that blocks conventional ads and strips away data trackers, announced the trial launch of its own ad technology on Tuesday. Users may opt-in to test Brave’s “consent-based digital advertising model” before it becomes more widely available. As an extra bit of incentive, Brave stated that users will eventually receive 70 percent of the gross ad revenue while still maintaining their privacy.

Consenting users who sign up for the early access version of the software will be shown about 250 pre-packaged ads directly via the browser and in a private channel. This special browser version will send a detailed log of browsing activities to Brave, which it will feed into its machine-learning algorithms. However, the company assures its users that it will not share this data with anyone, and users can leave the test at any time.

The main difference between Brave’s ads and conventional ones is that the browser chooses which ones are shown to users based on the data it collects from the user’s browsing habits and interests without sharing any of the information with third parties.

Brave also plans to quickly evolve its ads in the coming months as it seeks to understand how browsing behavior is impacted by rewarded user-centric ads. The company will pay users that interact with ads using Basic Attention Tokens (BAT)—its own brand of crypto tokens that can be used on the Brave Payments system to anonymously support different websites, publishers and YouTube channels. According to Brave, roughly 3,500 websites have signed up to receive the Brave Payments in addition to 10,400 YouTube creators and Twitch streamers.

As of April, an estimated 2.2 million people were using the Brave browser, and the company—founded by former Firefox leader Brendan Eich—expects that number to double by year’s end. That still falls far short of competitors such as Google Chrome, which has over a billion users, and Firefox, but recent events have raised awareness about data collection and privacy issues among users. As the testing reaches its final phase, Brave expects its ads to generate strong revenues, causing the BAT payment system to expand beyond the browser.

“The current advertising model exploits users and has eroded trust, as well as net revenue to publishers and other creators,” Brave wrote in a blog post. “We will reward users for their attention while shielding their identities and protecting their privacy. We believe that user data and attention hold substantial value if they are defended vigilantly on users’ devices, and that the transparent Brave ads delivery approach and the Basic Attention Token will provide users a fair share.”

Cannes Lions Sessions: Embracing Creativity And Transparency In A Digital World

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Legacy brands who not only adapt to but embrace digital marketing experience a new era of success. This was the lesson behind YouTube’s “What Matters Next” session on Tuesday, using the beauty and music industries as examples.

Hosted by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, the Cannes Lions session boasted the direct link between its site and brand success but also delved into the challenges of marketing in a digital age.

L’Oreal just embarked on a digital-first strategy, led by its CEO in 2010.

“Digital has profoundly changed the dynamics of our beauty market and has brought very positive disruption,” said Lubomira Rochet, chief digital officer of L’Oreal. “Digital and beauty are really a perfect match—beauty is one of the most engaging categories online.”

Rochet outlined the century-old brand’s three-pronged strategy to embrace digital into its company culture. First, L’Oreal wanted to make it easy to shop for products online. Today, Rochet said, about 30 percent of all revenue comes from ecommerce.

Data was the second plan of attack, so to speak. L’Oreal uses data to personalize and target market to consumers worldwide. Thirdly, Rochet stressed the importance of an “always on” marketing strategy, constantly producing content and engaging with influencers.

Previously, Rochet noted, the beauty industry took a very top-down approach to marketing and embraced a limited vision of beauty. Platforms like YouTube have democratized beauty, she said, and double-digit growth in the beauty market can be linked to widespread access to creator-based content like tutorials.

Digital helped L’Oreal reach more consumers, but it also had an unexpected result—it allowed the brand to listen. It turns out, for example, that the brand’s marketing team used different beauty terms than consumers did in some cases, which helped them learn about who uses their products.

YouTube Music launched in 17 countries on Monday. The music industry has experienced tremendous growing pains as a result of the digital age, from piracy to distribution. Lyor Cohen, veteran music exec and global head of music for YouTube and Google said that he worried about distribution becoming too consolidated.

“If there’s a healthy ecosystem of distribution, it becomes safe for artists and labels,” said Cohen. “If it’s too consolidated and only one or two players own the distribution, that’s really problematic for the creative community.”

Cohen joined YouTube in 2016. At that time, he said that brands like YouTube only communicated with music labels when they needed to renew a license. Not “treating them like a customer” can lead to misunderstandings, he observed.

YouTube’s relationship with the music industry has been turbulent, but Cohen is convinced that they are moving in the right direction now thanks to open communication.

“We have a new love affair [with the music industry],” he said. “I’m happy to say that we’ve invested a layer of infrastructure that we speak on a daily basis to all the labels. We try to understand exactly what’s important to them. Our people are not simply engineers and tech people but they’re also people that have come from the label system that understands finding an artist and breaking an artist is almost impossible. If we could help them build products that make their lives easier, it would be fabulous. I think they’re starting to sense that we’re here to help them. I believe that the present and future of the music business is direct-to-consumer.”

‘Incredibles 2’ Box Office Soars Atop Disney’s Marketing Machine

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Incredibles 2 shattered previous box office records for an animated film, debuting at number one domestically and worldwide. Together with strategic timing and mass appeal, this sequel demonstrates the superhero strength of the Disney/Pixar brand.

Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2 opened with $183 million over the weekend and another $23 million on Monday. The sequel went down in history as the highest animated film debut of all time—an honor held by DreamWorks’ Shrek 2 since 2004.

“Between their theme parks and powerful global brand, the Disney marketing machine is without equal,” Karie Bible, box office analyst and film historian at Exhibitor Relations, told AListDaily.

One campaign produced by this infamous “machine” was the addition of six Incredibles 2 AR emoji characters on Galaxy S9 phones. Similar to Apple’s Animoji, Samsung’s characters mirror a user’s facial expressions and mouth movements with the front-facing camera.

“Incredibles 2 appealed to virtually all demographics—men, women, families, children, etc. It was a film for the whole family,” noted Bible.

Marketing tactics for the film reflected this “whole family” approach, illustrated by a partnership with ASICS. A multimedia campaign added Incredibles 2 characters and visuals to ASICS’ ongoing #IMoveMe campaign, which hoped to inspire families to get active together.

Marketing you can see, interact with or visit—like this four-story inflatable super baby—are a given for marketing an animated film, but Bible noted other strategies that contributed to the film’s box office success.

“With film releases, timing is everything,” she said. “Prior to Incredibles 2, the last animated feature film from a major studio was Sherlock Gnomes, which came out on March 23. There has been a lull and audiences were clearly hungry for a new offering. Plus, many kids have just gotten out of school for the summer.”

Incredibles 2 boasts the highest box office debut on record for a PG film, thanks in part to the studio’s reputation.

“Pixar has the most consistent track record in Hollywood,” said Bible. “Their films almost always score with audiences, critics and awards voters.”

Majority Of Marketers Use Email Marketing, But Very Few Consumers Like It

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Though email marketing is an important means of generating awareness and promotions, there remains a massive disconnect between brands and consumers. A recent study conducted by Forrester Consulting and commissioned by Adobe found that 70 percent of respondents rely on email for promotions, but only eight percent of consumers feel “very satisfied” with their emails. Additionally, even though 60 percent of marketers feel that their emails are interactive, over two-thirds of recipients tell a different story, with only 26 percent of consumers stating that they find their brand emails are interactive.

The report states that the reason for this divide comes from how many marketing efforts still rely on outdated methods that don’t work in today’s business climate. Therefore, it suggests that this is the time to innovate email marketing by moving it beyond promotional marketing so that brands can pivot to a customer-centric approach. Promotional emails still have value, but it cannot be the sole strategy. Instead of being about transactions, sales, their brand or day-to-day operations, the report states that brands should use email to create “customer obsession.”

Forrester defines customer obsession as “deliberately making your customer the center of your total operating model,” and measures it using six criteria: structure, technology, processes, metrics, talent and culture. By surveying 260 marketing professionals, Forrester found that companies have an inflated view of how customer-obsessed they are. About 60 percent of brands identified themselves as customer-obsessed, but only 12 percent “fully embody best practices” across all six criteria. According to Forrester, 45 percent of the surveyed brands are “customer-aware,” which is the second-least mature category for its approach.

According to Forrester’s findings, more customer-obsessed companies reported that they exceeded their revenue goals than others. They also got higher scores on satisfaction surveys.

In order to strengthen engagement, the report makes three key recommendations:

  1. Turn emails into immersive brand experiences instead of just getting people to click on links. That way, emails can become competitive differentiators.
  2. Reduce low-value promotional emails and try to increase loyalty from your best customers instead of blasting deal-seekers, which has the added benefit of reducing the amount of tracking needed for GDPR compliance.
  3. Use email as a utility for cross-channel experiences. Instead of just measuring opens, clicks and conversions, track when email assists conversion in other channels in addition to how it boosts lifetime value, customer satisfaction and brand engagement. In short, measure the campaign, not customer results.

The report further states that 95 percent of the surveyed marketers believe that they would benefit from a more advanced email marketing program and that customer-obsessed companies use the following practices:

  • Measure customer satisfaction
  • Regularly refresh content
  • Test and learn through email marketing
  • Use tools that enable advanced email applications

Brands Celebrated Father’s Day With Food, Humor And Gratitude

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Father’s Day marketing for 2018 followed the tradition of heartfelt gratitude mixed with humor, but also reflected current views of what it means to be a dad. From heartfelt thank yous to silly jokes and favorite foods, these brands paid tribute to dads everywhere.

According to the National Retail Foundation, 77 percent of Americans planned on celebrating Father’s Day this year and to spend an average of $133 per person. The biggest spenders this year were between the ages of 25–34, who planned on spending an average of $188 per person.

With all the talk about gender equality and representation in marketing, it’s important not to forget dads. The portrayal of men as bumbling buffoons or lazy fathers will no longer fly. In fact, some brands are personally advocating to change marketing perceptions, as seen in this year’s holiday campaigns.

Dove Men + Care launched a campaign called “Dear Future Dads” that offers advice to parents-to-be while championing paternal leave in the US so both parents can bond with a new child.

Dads can give some great advice, so American Greetings put together a list of tips they received from their users. The spot illustrates each life tip with props and craft supplies, similar to the brand’s tribute to Mother’s Day.

Michelob Ultra celebrated not just fathers, but all father figures, whether they be a mentor, coach or step-dad. An emotional ad presented three father figures with letters of thanks from people whose lives they’ve touched.

Speaking of influencing children, Lagavulin partnered with “manly man” comedian Nick Offerman for an episode of “My Tales of Whiskey.” The Father’s Day spot shows both Offerman and his father going about their daily routine in much the same way, down to little gestures and facial expressions.

Modern dads are more emotionally involved and interactive than in previous generations, which allows them to make little moments special. Musician John Legend made up a silly song for when he changes diapers called “Stinky Booty,” which became the theme of a Father’s Day campaign for Pampers.

Fathers have a reputation for having fun with their kids by telling purposely bad jokes. The practice is so common and beloved that this type of humor has been dubbed a “dad joke.” WWE asked kids to share their favorite dad jokes for Father’s Day.

Dad’s can be cheesy, so Kraft took the idea quite literally. The brand offered a limited number of custom-made cheese sculptures of dear old dad, auctioning them off to the highest bidder. Proceeds of the auction went to Feeding America and Kraft matched the proceeds dollar-for-dollar.

Kraft’s A1 brand also offered a wacky alternative to ties and cologne this year with meat-scented candles. The exclusive gift is available in Original Meat, Backyard BBQ and Classic Burger.

Cannes Lions Sessions: A Look At The Factors That Drive Brand Value

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Brands with creativity, disruption and great advertising at the heart of their businesses generate the most average brand value, Kantar Millward Brown revealed at Cannes Lions on Monday.

Kantar Millward Brown analyzed BrandZ’s 3.6 million consumer interviews comparing perceptions of 122,000 brands in 51 markets over the last 12 years to discover the role that consumer perception of creativity, disruption and advertising plays in building brand value.

Brands that consumers perceive as creative but not disruptive have grown their brand value by an average of 69 percent over that period, while brands that consumers perceive as “shaking things up,” i.e. disruptive, boosted brand value by 123 percent over the same period.

Those that display both creativity and disruption generated an average brand value growth of 154 percent.

The biggest jumps in brand value happened when consumers perceived a brand to combine creativity and disruption with great advertising. These brands experienced a boost in brand value of 265 percent.

BrandZ global head Doreen Wang was joined onstage by Deliveroo head of marketing for UK and Ireland Emily Kraftman, BYD general manager of global brand and PR Sherry Li and Ancestry.com CMO Vineet Mehra.

Hosted by Kantar Millward Brown’s BrandZ equity platform, “Disruptive Creativity: The New Model for Marketers” explored the balance between creativity and disruption while building a successful brand in consumers’ minds.

“If you are both disruptive and creative, you are hitting the sweet spot,” said Wang.

Wang added that the number one driver for brand growth is perceived innovation, which itself is driven by disruptive creativity.

“Having disruptive creativity at the heart of a business is about more than product and R&D, and being creative is not just about communications,” said Wang. “The best way for brands to influence consumer perception is through effective communications, by experimenting with new formats and, most importantly, by delivering a great brand experience.”

Report Examines How App Marketers Can Overcome Revenue Challenges

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A new report published by marketing analytics platform AppsFlyer and Facebook analyzes $2.4 billion in revenue generated by 3,800 apps worldwide during early 2018 to get a better picture of the lifetime value (LTV) for mobile apps around the world. LTV measures the overall revenue a business generates from an average user throughout their time using an app, and it lets marketers know how much they can spend on user acquisition while remaining profitable. Using this benchmark as a foundation, the two companies are helping app marketers optimize their strategies across different regions and verticals.

The study found that app marketing revenue is up 80 percent from 2016 despite growing challenges such as an increasingly competitive marketplace coupled with falling retention rates. AppsFlyer goes on to state that there are currently two parallel trends that are adding to the monetization challenges, the first being that organic app discovery is “largely broken,” leading to a decreased number of high-value organic users. This is occurring as media costs are on the rise, which combines to have a negative impact on profitability.

In order to overcome these challenges, the report recommends that apps maximize the potential for multiple revenue streams, including in-app purchases (IAP), in-app advertising (IAA), paid-for apps and subscriptions. However, it tempers that statement by explaining that the premium “paid-for” model only works for a small percentage of apps with unique content from a top brand, while subscriptions benefit a minority of apps that constantly provide ongoing value through regularly updated content to a loyal group of users. Therefore, IAP and IAA make up the vast majority of revenue from apps with the former making up the lion’s share. But more developers are seeking to “monetize their in-app ad real estate” and take advantage of the rising media costs.

However, not all verticals are equal in the app market. Although the report states that there are major performance gaps between the gaming, shopping and travel verticals, gaming has less of a divide between both iOS and Android performance and between organic and non-organic traffic compared to the other categories. With gaming, average revenues from iOS users were only 28 percent higher than on Android, but they spent 70 and 60 percent more in shopping and travel respectively. Additionally, organic users only bring in six percent more revenue in gaming, while travel is 25 percent higher and shopping is estimated to be no less than 170 percent more. AppsFlyer cites the significantly heavier use of data among gaming app marketers as the key reason for this tremendous gap.

Gaming Apps

According to the study, the average gamer spends about $1.70 during a 90-day period, and the number jumps to $70.27 when isolating paying users only, even though only about 3.8 percent of gamers make purchases. Additionally, the UK and US markets generate significantly higher revenues than other countries, with growth continuing well past the 30-day mark. Developing markets such as Brazil, India and Indonesia show much less revenue and growth, while the spending trend in China lies in between mature and developing markets.

But despite these differences, the report recommends that game marketers focus on quality to attract paying users no matter what region they’re in. It’s also important to re-engage users after about a week, when revenue starts to drop off. The report further suggests entering into developing regions for new revenue streams to compensate for the extremely competitive US and UK markets, naming China as a major opportunity.

Shopping Apps

As for the shopping category, the study found that consumers usually know about brands before installing their apps, which is why the category has a high percentage of paying users. About 9.7 percent of users spend money on shopping apps, averaging $13.88 per user across a 90-day period, combining both organic and inorganic traffic. When it comes to shopping, organic users spend almost triple the amount non-organic ones do.

Again, the UK and US are the leading markets in the shopping category with Russia coming in third. However, only about five to six percent of users make purchases within the first week, no matter which region they’re in, with the number of conversions increasing by about 70 percent between day seven and 30, and about half of paying users in all countries tend to be repeat customers.

Although iOS shoppers bring in about 70 percent more revenue than Android users, the study states that the latter’s scale is too large to ignore. Marketers can maximize this platform by targeting high-end Android device users.

Travel Apps

About 9.6 percent of travel app users spend money, averaging $29.42 per user across a 180-day period, with iOS users spending 50 percent more than Android users. The report adds that travels apps see a 60 percent higher LTV from iOS users, and organic users are 2.5x more likely to book than non-organic ones, bringing in 60 percent more revenue.

Unsurprisingly, the US and UK are the lead markets in this category with Indonesia being a distant third followed closely by Russia. The report also states that Russia, Brazil and India have little long-term value for travel apps while the UK is kind-of in its own league. UK travelers are 3x more likely to book a trip within the first day compared to other key markets, and its users are far more likely to book more than three times within 90 days.

When it comes to travel apps, the report suggests re-engaging users after seven days, relying more on data to improve the value of market-driven installs, and focusing mainly on developed markets—particularly the UK—even though Indonesia is showing encouraging signs of growth.

Cannes Lions 2018: How Technology Is Disrupting The Creative Process

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First it came for the production line workers, then it came for the truck drivers, and now it seems like technology is coming for the advertising creative. If there’s one thing that stands out from the first proper day of Cannes Lions, it’s that big tech is done with just owning data and making teams work efficiently—it’s coming for the rest of the advertising pie, too.

It’s becoming ever more clear that as the public moves over to even more sophisticated technology to view and interact with content, then the creators of this content need to shape their thinking to fit in with these new expectations. “At the core, the customer wants to be delighted at every turn,” Adobe’s Chris Duffey told the audience at Cannes today. “AI is going to be a massive part of brands’ business, so the relationships creatives have with these providers are going to drive the client relationships. Technology is creating the experience economy.”

Almost all the speakers and panels today showed how new platforms, artificial intelligence and augmented reality were gearing up to radically alter the way that creatives can create. This can be either through lightening the load, expanding horizons, or in some cases even becoming an integral part of the process. Like a virtual bird dog, this new trend in tech promises to point the way and manage all the fetching and carrying and leave the human side of the equation to concentrate on making the decisions.

“A machine can be an assistant, a peer and, the holy grail, a muse,” Duffey told the Interactive Stage at Cannes earlier today, as he teamed up with Microsoft’s Doug Gould to discuss the developing relationship between technology and the creative. “Even though it’s only 16 months away, 2020 is looking like a watershed year. Almost every business is predicting that AI will be infused through their organization, and essentially our mission is to build products that serve the creator and respect the use.”

Showing us a glimpse of this future, the duo went on to present Adobe’s recent partnership with Grey London and Braun, which uses A.I. and deep learning to decode the German company’s design language and present their product team with new avenues to explore. “The key is to start with technology and end with human” explained Gould, “and our work shows how this will be the creative industry.”

This trend towards blending technology and insights was also at the heart of Google’s recent work. Bravely stepping into the 10 am time slot on the first day of the festival, Andre le Masier, the company’s executive creative director, outlined their approach. “We start with people, insights and ideas; not tech. We’re anthropologists at heart, and we study how people act. Making tech for tech’s sake is always a bad idea.”

R/GA, represented by his panel partner James Temple, echoed these sentiments. “We have a simple mission—we want to come together to create innovation and inspire progress,” he told the panel. “The creative canvas has never been more powerful. Our North Star is a more human future; empowering people to lead better lives.”

Google and R/GA provided multiple examples of how technology-led creativity can have a transformative effect on communities and lives. Google’s Crisis Response uses real-time information and an array of cross functionality to ensure the safety of people trapped in the center of a crisis, while R/GA’s recent “Love Has No Labels” campaign used augmented reality to challenge longstanding biases, and has since become the second most-viewed public safety campaign in the UK. Both showed, that when done right, technology continues to power campaigns that can shape, improve and even empower lives and can provide eye-catching vehicles for brands to promote their values and visions.

As projects like this show, digital innovation is starting to change the public’s relationship with the media, and people are expecting ever richer experiences as part of the buying process. Where once retail was a purely human-led experience, the rise of richer, more rewarding online experiences is starting to fundamentally change the way we shop. In fact, the evidence is everywhere, from the long, drawn-out death of the mall in the United States to the disappearing brands on the British high street, consumers all over the world are starting to turn away from human-driven interactions and are starting to embrace the more personalized experiences that virtual and augmented reality can offer.

“Technology is already profoundly changing our experiences, so it’s vital that we internalized this process,” proclaimed Lubomira Rochet, L’Oréal’s chief digital officer to the festival’s vast Innovation Stage. Speaking about the French cosmetics giant’s recent acquisition of ModiFace, she was discussing the central role that technology and innovation has when it comes to the company’s relationship with their customers. “It’s helping us to move away from [a] top-down idea of what beauty is and helping people to discover things for themselves. The future of the beauty industry lies in personalization—we need to put experience at the core.”

L’Oréal is showing that brands can play a vital role when it comes to turning theoretical ideas into practical applications. ModiFace and its ability to allow users to try out different looks and products has the potential to fundamentally change how customers discover and use the company’s products. Through a combination of AR and smart mirror technology, the acquisition has given L’Oréal both a novel way to engage with its customers and a huge advantage over its competitors who are all mostly finding their feet in this new world. Brands’ eagerness to incubate, partner and disseminate these new advances can only accelerate the pace of innovation and their adoption by the wider public. “In digital, no one can win alone,” said Rochet. “You have to put yourself at the centre of innovation and do so in a way that is both credible and valuable.”

As the technology becomes ever more capable, the old model of the copywriter/art director duo has begun to feel irrelevant in these times of machine learning and more and more both agencies and brands are grappling with ways to integrate artificial intelligence, insights and analytics with creative thinking and strategy. More than just being a problem of capacity and functionality, technology is becoming an organizational headache, and everyone from Microsoft to Google was keen to stress that the old siloed way of working, with an insights team over here and a creative team over there, was as dead as the dodo.

So, like it or not, the future is here and it looks like a robot body with a human brain. Before we all take a leaf out of the luddites’ handbook and descend on Google’s HQ with torches and pitchforks though, it looks like the old ways might still have their uses. One thing that was clear today, is that for the most part these innovations only work when they can access market intelligence on a scale that many companies can never provide. While Burger King can put out incredible reactive campaigns driven by user interactions, it’s a fact that many industries will never have this level of interaction, especially if it’s a grudge purchase like travel insurance. While all of today’s speakers were keen to show us a digital utopia, the reality is that until they can make thousands of people spill the beans on how they really feel about Stu’s Autoshop, then unfortunately a lot of us are stuck doing it the good old-fashioned way.

Reddit Rolls Out Native Videos As Study Shows Users Are Willing To Watch More

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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.

Snapchat Launches First ‘Snappable’ AR Lens In UK With Three’s ‘Puggerfly’ Mascot

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Snapchat announced on Friday a first of its kind partnership with UK-based mobile network Three. The two are leveraging the timing of the World Cup by launching the social platform’s first Snappable augmented reality Lens featuring Three’s now famous Puggerfly mascot (a virtual pug dog with butterfly wings)

Snappables are a new type of interactive Lens that for playing and sharing augmented reality games with friends. These experiences are controlled using touch, motion and facial expressions.

Three is the first brand to use the new Snappable format, which enables users to play as Puggerfly in an AR game of football. By tilting their heads left or right, users can dodge incoming Puggerflies while the Lens keeps score, and Snapchat users can then invite their friends to beat their high score.

Puggerfly made its first appearance in Three’s “Go Binge with Snapchat” campaign, and it has already become a trendsetter by being at the center of several firsts on Snapchat. According to a press release, it was the first AR pet to be featured on the platform, running in different Lenses during a week-long period in April, where users could raise a Puggerfly from a puppy to adulthood. Additionally, the virtual pet is the first Lens to “go to sleep,” and it was the first gamified Snapchat Lens that offered real-world rewards through Three’s mobile network.

Snapchat first announced Snappables in April, and they offer developers a means of creating gaming experiences on the platform. At the time, Snapchat said that it intended to release a new Snappable each week. Previous attempts to bring games onto Snapchat include last year’s Zynga Poker promotion, where users could play a hand of poker using facial expressions.

There are currently over 12 million daily Snapchat users in the UK, with the platform reaching over 25 percent of all smartphone users in the country. Users spend an average of three minutes playing with AR experiences and sharing over 250 million Snaps using Lenses each day. Snapchat reported that over 1 trillion photos were taken globally with the Snapchat camera in 2017, which comes out to about three billion Snaps a day.

“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.

David Norris, Snapchat’s creative lead in the UK, added “We know how important big cultural moments are on Snapchat, and it is so exciting to bring Puggerfly back to the camera during the first weekend of the World Cup. We’ve already enabled Snapchatters to play with their Puggerfly as it learned to walk, dance and fly; so, what a great way to continue the story by creating the pitch invading Puggerfly to launch the UK’s first Snappable.”