Direct-to-consumer companies are continuously disrupting industries leaving long-standing brands scratching their heads about how to regain lost market share—about 10 percent—from fast-growing upstarts.
A picture of this has never been more clear than comparing direct-to-consumer mattress companies with legacy veterans’ activity on social media.
It’s not even that the products themselves are necessarily disruptive—these companies are simply being advantageous of leveraging digital channels and refreshing branding to appeal to status-oriented millennials.
As more and more DTC mattress companies are opening up traditional showrooms, it’s clear that the success of the direct-to-consumer model isn’t really just about cutting out the “middleman,” but about developing communities around these products and creating a bit of a halo of aspiration online.
With data from Soulmate’s ROI Reporter, we are able to compare what was happening across channels and how much earned media value was being generated by leading mattress brands.
The data shows a stark contrast and sheds light on how companies like Casper, Leesa and Purple have quickly become recognized brands.
Let’s take a look at a few companies on both sides of the mattress industry to dig into what is happening here with data pulled from March 9 to April 7, 2019.
Direct-To-Consumer
Casper
Casper is likely the first example that comes to mind when thinking of DTC mattress companies, and it is not surprising—according to a report from Retail Dive in 2018, the mattress brand commands 50 percent of the total market share of the direct-to-consumer mattress space.
Primarily, Casper has focused on leveraging Facebook and Instagram to generate this massive growth, both of which continue to be its key platforms of focus today.
According to Soulmates.ai, Casper is the second-leading DTC mattress company in terms of follower earned media value and skews the highest with Facebook average earned media value ($1,070) and Instagram average earned media value ($156) of all mattress companies.
Of all the brands included in this report, Purple ranks the highest for earned media value. The direct-to-consumer mattress company has made these big gains by focusing on a channel most others have paid little-to-no attention to: YouTube.
For Purple, the average earned media value on YouTube posts is $2,090; the brand also produces quite a bit of review-based influencer content on the platform.
Beyond creating engaging content, Purple also succeeded in getting the highest earned media value for followers on any platform, worth an astonishing $2,300,517.18 in EMV for just a 30-day period.
Legacy
Sleep Number
Aside from a rather dreary picture from the rest of the pack of legacy brands, Sleep Number stands out as one making significant strides on social media. As the second-best performing company overall from brands in this report, Sleep Number is also seeing this success translate to their bottom line.
Sleep Number performed consistently in 2018 with sales growth of 6.03 percent.
The company has also taken a diversified approach to platforms with high levels of growth across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels, partially driven by a partnership Sleep Number has with the NFL.
While the best performing platform for Sleep Number is Facebook ($1,792,599 in Facebook follower earned media value), the company is also far-and-away the top legacy brand on YouTube ($186,117 YouTube follower earned media value).
Serta Simmons
Now to provide some contrast: Simmons, a mattress company founded in 1870, does not appear to have capitalized on its legacy brand equity in the social space. One reason could be the company’s diversification of product brand names, like Beautyrest. The company has neither an Instagram nor a YouTube account and has just over 5,000 likes on Facebook, with the last post dated as May 2012.
Sister brand Serta, whose iconic counting sheep ads gained the company prominence in the early aughts continues to be a mainstay for the brand but has not translated to success in the social space with infrequent posts.
Tuft & Needle, another disruptive direct-to-consumer brand, agreed to a merger with Serta Simmons Bedding in late 2018, so it remains to be seen how the legacy brand will leverage newfangled DTC insights.
Marketing teams will increase their digital video budgets nearly 25 percent to $18 million in 2019, according to a new report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). While brands call original digital video content (ODV) “essential,” ensuring the quality of this content presents a challenge.
IAB’s Video Advertising Spend Report 2019 explores the spending plans of 350 marketer and agency executives, 17 percent of which representing direct to consumer (DTC) brands. Respondents had to be involved in digital video advertising decision-making at a company responsible for at least $1 million total ad spend in 2018 and have familiarity with the Digital Content NewFronts.
Sample groups represented the automotive, consumer packaged goods (CPG), fashion/apparel, finance, home furnishings, media/entertainment, retail and telecommunications industries.
Video ad spend has grown across all the aforementioned industry verticals but none more so than in Media/Entertainment, which will increase its ad spend by an estimated 75 percent this year. The next-highest estimated increase will come from Fashion/Apparel at 45 percent compared to spending in 2018.
Despite its small representation among those surveyed (17 percent), direct to consumer (DTC) brands expect to allocate more than half of their digital spend on digital video advertising. This is a 50 percent YoY increase. About half of this budget will be spent during Digital Content NewFronts, marketers said.
Nearly two-thirds of respondent budgets have been allocated to digital video, IAB found. A majority of that spend is allocated outside of social channels as brands invest in music video sites, user-generated content, online TV shows and others.
IAB notes that seven out of 10 digital video advertisers currently use influencers in their digital video advertising. Four out of 10 plan to increase spending this year on influencer partnerships.
Spending on original digital video content (ODV) will rise 31 percent year over year to $9.3 million. Respondents said they consider ODV to be “essential.” While “quality of content” remains the main deciding factor for investment, it is also listed as marketers’ biggest obstacle for ODV.
Brands will adopt new digital video ad formats at a higher rate in 2019, IAB predicts, especially stories and shoppable ads. Over half—59 percent—plan to increase their spend on advanced TV (ATV) over the next 12 months, with half reporting increases in OTT.
Audience reach and campaign optimization were chosen as top benefits of advertising on OTT, with “cost” as its biggest obstacle.
Digital video programmatic spending is expected to rise four percent YoY and reach 53 percent fo buying methods. DTC brands allocate more funds to programmatic in-house buys than their incumbent counterparts, IAB noted.
A majority of respondents (83 percent) agree that a unified multi-platform buying solution across TV and digital video is “extremely/very important.”
“This year’s report clearly points out that buyers are looking for more unified approaches to planning, executing, and measuring video campaigns across platforms,” said Eric John, deputy director of IAB Digital Video Center of Excellence. “The more the industry pivots to make good on the promise of ‘video everywhere,’ the more we can expect digital video budgets to increase.“
This week’s executive shifts include CMOs for Disney TV/ABC Snap, Juul, J.Hilburn, GumTree, Snag, Bass Pro Shops and B&Q. Also, Kraft Heinz hires a former AB InBev CMO to be its CEO and Nintendo of America promotes for SVP, marketing.
Disney TV/ABC Entertainment has named Shannon Ryan president of marketing. Ryan came to Disney in the Fox Networks acquisition, where she was previously chief marketing officer of Fox Television Group.
“Joining Disney, a company I’ve always admired and one of the most powerful brands in the world, is the opportunity of a lifetime,”said Ryan in a statement. “I’m beyond excited to begin this next chapter and look forward to collaborating with Craig and Karey and their incredibly talented teams to shine a light on the fantastic work being done at these creative companies.”
Snap Hires Chief Marketing Officer From McDonald’s
Snap hired Kenny Mitchell as the company’s first chief marketing officer. Mitchell begins the role in June and had been vice president marketing, brand content and engagement at McDonald’s.
Mitchell, who had only been with McDonald’s for about a year, previously lead consumer engagement at Gatorade and was the managing director of brand and consumer marketing at NASCAR for two years. Mitchell started out at PepsiCo in the early 2000s before joining Gatorade and working his way up to director of sports marketing.
“Kenny’s consumer marketing expertise and his deep understanding of our products will be a great combination for Snap,” said Snap co-founder/CEO Evan Spiegel. “Throughout his career, Kenny has demonstrated his ability to successfully execute innovative, global marketing campaigns, many of which have leveraged our own vertical video and augmented reality products. He’s a natural fit to join our team and lead marketing as we continue driving the positive momentum we have in the business.”
“Snap is a great company with strong values, an inspired vision and innovative products that are empowering its global community,” Mitchell said in a statement. “I look forward to helping Evan and Snap continue to tell their story to people around the world, and working with my new colleagues as we define the future of the camera and self-expression.”
Juuls Appoints First Chief Marketing Officer
According to the Wall Street Journal, Juul hired Craig Brommers, a veteran retail marketer, to be the company’s first chief marketing officer. Brommers was most recently the chief marketing officer at Gap.
Brommers also had senior marketing positions at Calvin Klein, Abercrombie and Fitch and Speedo.
In the WSJ article, Brommers says “I joined Juul Labs because I strongly believe in the company’s goal of eliminating combustible cigarettes, the number one cause of preventable death in the world, based on personal experience within my family.”
J.Hilburn Appoints Chief Marketing Officer
J.Hillburn appointed Casey Shilling as the clothing brand’s chief marketing officer. Shilling was most recently CMO of Zoe’s Kitchen, from 2016 to January of this year. Before that Shilling spent 20 years at the Container Store, working her way up from PR supervisor to vice president of marketing and publication relations.
“I’m thrilled to join J.Hilburn and this dynamic, seasoned management team during such an exciting time for the brand,” said Shilling said in a statement. “Together, we plan to increase our stylist network and transform the company into an omni-channel business, increasing brand awareness to attract new customers and deepening engagement with our loyal base of clients.”
GumTree Picks Up Chief Marketing Officer
GumTree appointed Claire Howard-Jones as the company’s chief marketing officer. According to The Drum, Howard-Jones brings “two decades of experience with brands such as Amazon, Sainsbury’s and British Airways.”
In a statement to The Drum, Howard-Jones said, “Joining a brand at a time of growth as CMO presents an exciting challenge—one I can’t wait to get started on. Gumtree is a well-loved brand and I’m excited to bring my experience to help solidify the new brand proposition and elevate our growing motors offering.”
B&Q Hires Former House Of Fraser CMO
B&Q has hired Paddy Earnshaw, formerly of House of Fraser, as chief marketing officer. Earnshaw also had previous appointments at Doddle, Worldpay and Moneycorp.
GoBear hires Chief Marketing Officer
GoBear has hired Nelson Allen to be chief marketing officer for the company. In a statement, the company says, “Asia’s leading financial supermarket GoBear has appointed Nelson Allen as Chief Marketing Officer. Nelson is an accomplished Marketer, with two decades of experience mainly gained in the Asia Pacific region.”
Snag Appoints Chief Marketing Officer
Snag appointed Mathieu Stevenson as chief marketing officer. He comes ot the job search company after spending the last few years as CMO at Blucora and chief strategy officer at Catalina. He will “leads Snag’s marketing and communications efforts.”
Forrest Films Fills Freshly Carved Exec Marketing Roles
Forrest Films hired Lori Drazen, Liz Deutsch and Bryce Campbell as senior vice president of marketing, senior vice president of in-theater marketing and promotions and senior vice president of operations, respectively.
Drazen has previously served as senior vice president of
theatrical marketing and worldwide advertising services and worked with
independent production and distribution entities, as well as creative
advertising agencies.
Deutsch launched her career at MGM Studios 15 years ago and at
her last job with Open Road,
she oversaw campaigns for many films, including Chef,
The Nut Job, and the
Oscar-winning, Spotlight.
Campbell, who also comes to Forrest Films from Open Road, started his career at Miramax Films, where he worked on such movies as No Country For Old Men. At Open Road, he served as a vice president of theatrical sales and operations.
Kings Food Markets And Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market Promote Within
Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market promoted Karen Roche to the role of vice president of marketing. She will report to Stephen Corradini, the company’s chief merchandising and marketing officer, but her new duties will include managing creative content, brand development, digital marketing, media and planning, budgeting and overseeing the retailer’s external agency team.
Def Jam Invites Jeff Burroughs To Join The Executive Team
Per Billboard, Jeff Burroughs will now be a Def Jam’s
senior vice president of marketing.
Burroughs previously served as an executive vice president at Bad Boy Entertainment, senior vice president at RCA Records and head of commercial at Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment. He will be joining Def Jam from his own Los-Angeles-based consulting and brand strategy firm, Rise Entertainment.
“I’m excited to re-enter the major label system, and proud to be joining Paul Rosenberg, Rich Isaacson, Scott Greer and the talented Def Jam executives at the undisputed home of hip-hop. I intend to make sure that I add value at a critical and opportune time in the history of this legendary label,” Burroughs told Billboard.
La-Z-Boy
Incorporated Senior VP Retires
AP Newsreported on Wednesday that La-Z-Boy senior vice president, chief commercial officer and president international, J. Douglas Collier, will retire on June 22, 2019. Collier first started at La-Z-Boy
in 2002 as a vice president of marketing. He then left the company in 2005 but
returned as a CMO two years later.
Kobalt’s AWAL Hires A VP Of Strategic Marketing
Thomas Fiss will join Kobalt’s AWAL as a vice president of strategic marketing, North America. Fiss had previously managed brand partnerships at the Life is Beautiful Music Festival. He is also a co-founder of Partner.ly, a software platform that simplifies the artist and brand partnership process.
AWAL President, North America Ron Cerrito said in a statement, “We are reimagining the construct and type of services artists and labels should have access to in the modern music industry. We sought someone with Thomas’ brand partnership expertise and agency approach to help us innovate what next chapter music marketing should look like and to help our artists create unique content offerings for their fans.”
Bass Pro Shops Appoints Chief Marketing Officer
Bass Pro Shops and parent company Great Outdoors Group announced the appointment of Jamie Sohosky as chief marketing officer. Sohosky comes to the companies from Walmart, where she leaves the position VP, customer experience. Sohosky had been with Walmart since 2006 and worked at Campbell Soup Company before that.
According to the press release, Sohosky “will lead the powerful marketing engine overseeing omnichannel customer engagement, digital, paid and social media, promotions, events, sponsorships, partnerships and additional facets of the marketing mix.”
Apple Hires TV And Film Marketer
Last week, Apple hired Danielle DePalma to be the company’s film and TV series marketing executive as the company ramps up its original programming for Apple TV Plus. DePalma comes to Apple from Lionsgate, where she was the executive vice president worldwide digital marketing & research. She’d been with the company for 10 years.
Kraft Heinz Hires AB InBev Chief Marketing Officer
Kraft Heinz appointed Miguel Patricio as the company’s chief executive officer. Patricio comes to the brand from AB InBev, where he was the chief marketing officer for six years. Patricio had been with Anheuser-Busch since 2005, and prior to that had senior marketing positions at Philip Morris, Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson.
“Kraft Heinz is an incredible company with iconic brands that are loved around the world,” Patricio said in a statement. “It will be a privilege and an honor to lead such a talented group of employees as we focus on the consumer to capitalize on the growth opportunities that exist in the rapidly evolving food industry.”
Nintendo American Appoints Marketing, Sales SVP
Nintendo of America promoted Nick Chavez to the position of senior vice president of sales and marketing. Chavez has been with the company for nine years and was previously VP of marketing. Prior to Nintendo, Chavez worked in brand marketing at Yahoo.
Westwood One Appoints Head Of Marketing, Sponsorship Sales
Westwood One appointed Theresa Gage as vice president, sponsorship sales and marketing. Gage has prior positions at Music Audience Exchange, InMobi and Pandora.
Cannabis One Acquires Evergreen Organix, Appoints CMO
Cannabis One has acquired Nevada-based Evergreen Organix and in turn appointed the company’s president Jerry Velarde to the position of chief marketing officer at Cannabis One.
Editor’s Note:Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, April 19. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.
Trying to keep up with every social platform’s latest updates, insights and campaigns? Keep reading, because we explain it all.
Some Twitter Users Would Be Willing To Pay For Service
According to a report from Morning Consult, some Twitter users would be willing to pay for Twitter as a service, eventually.
Why it matters: Twitter seems to have turned a corner recently, having logged it’s first profitable year after many years of operating at a loss. But, all of this is ad revenue, would a subscription service work or would it push users away?
The details: According to the survey, “88% of Twitter users say they use the platform ‘mostly for fun,'” but “when asked which of the four major social media platforms they’d give up if forced to choose, youngest adults were least likely to pick Twitter. “
The report calculated the optimum cost for a Twitter subscription would be $4 a month and that 27 percent of each age group surveyed say “they would ‘definitely’ or ‘maybe’ pay for the social media service.”
Facebook The Invincible
Facebook’s Q1 2019 update shows an increase in daily users of 55 million since last quarter.
Why it matters: The Q1 reportshows the platform’s healthy user growth, despite all the turmoil Facebook has been founding itself in lately.
The details: According to the report, Facebook now has 2.37 billion monthly active users, 1.56 billion of which log in every day (this demonstrates a 39 million increase since Q4 2018).
Per the report, the social media platform’s growth in North America and Europe has slowed, but doubled in India since 2015 and continues in the Asia Pacific and other countries around the world. Facebook reported a 26 percent year-over-year increase in revenue, bringing in $15.08 billion for the first quarter.
The Shocking Facebook Stories Stats
On Wednesday, following Facebook’s Q1 2019 report release, Mark Zuckerberg revealed some impressive Facebook Stories statistics during the call with investors.
Why it matters: After a rough couple of years, these new user numbers show Facebook has, to an extent, weathered the storm.
The details: According to the company’s CEO, Facebook Stories hit 500 million daily active users. Chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said that 3 million advertisers have made use of the Stories format across Facebook’s overall app ecosystem. Financial information about the ads’ performance is unavailable at this time.
China’s Gen Z Doesn’t Care For Traditional Shopping
Bloomberg reported that traditional retail and ecommerce are not attractive to China’s Gen Z population.
Why it matters: To the generation born after 1996, social media is not just a place to connect, show off or get inspired, it’s the place, where they want to shop.
The details: According to Bloomberg, China’s Gen Zs are interested neither in big brand names nor in traditional ad campaigns. Most of the time, they buy what’s recommended by influencers and make their purchases using messaging, short videos, livestreaming and social media apps.
The researcher, Frost & Sullivan, predicts that by 2022 in China, $413 billion in goods will be sold through social ecommerce, compared to $90 billion in 2017. This trend is expected to quickly catch on throughout the world.
Twitter Increases Ad Payments To Publishers By 60 Percent
According to Digiday, Twitter said they paid 60 percent more revenue back to publishers last year than in 2017.
Why it matters: Twitter sees 139 million “monetizable” daily active users, according to Merket.US data, and has 950 media partners. The platform has deals for original and exclusive content with media companies such as NBA, BuzzFeed and CNN. These deals, in fact, drive the lion’s share of the revenue that Twitter is sending back to publishers.
The details: “Since the business has hit its stride over the past two, three years, we have grown to more than 950 global content publishers. We’re doing more content through more partnerships and deals than ever before. Even with the people we were already working with, we have gone back to the drawing board to make those relationships bigger,” Kay Madati, Twitter’s head of content partnerships told Digiday.
Pew Survey Explains What Twitter Users Are Like
Pew Research Center surveyed 2,791 US adult Twitter users to get an insight into the platform’s demographic’s behavioral patterns and habits.
Why it matters: The findings of the survey show some characteristics and attitudes of Twitter users in the US and connect them to the users’ behaviors, such as tweet frequency and the number of accounts they follow on the platform.
The details: Here are the main takeaways:
42 percent of adult Twitter users have at least a bachelor’s degree, which is 11 percentage points higher than the overall share of the public with this level of education (31 percent).
Twitter users are more likely to identify with the Democratic Party (36 percent) compared to US adults at large (30 percent)
64 percent of Twitter users vs. 54 percent of Americans say black Americans are treated less fairly than white Americans. They are also more likely than the U.S. general public to say that immigrants strengthen the U.S. (66 percent vs. 57 percent) and that barriers exist in the society that make it harder for women to get ahead (62 percent vs. 56 percent).
The most prolific 10 percent of Twitter users produce about 138 tweets monthly. These active tweeters are also more likely to be female: 65 percent, compared with 48 percent of the bottom 90 percent of tweeters.
Twitter’s New Reporting Feature For Elections
Twitter posted a blog post on Wednesday about strengthening its approach to deliberate attempts to mislead voters by creating a new dedicated reporting feature.
Why it matters:The new dedicated reporting feature will make it easier for Twitter users to report misleading content.
The details: According to Twitter, the feature is an addition to the already existing approach to control platform manipulations.
Misleading information about how to vote, register to vote or requirements to vote, as well as false information about the official date or time of an election, is considered content in violation.
“We will start with 2019 Lok Sabha in India and the EU elections and then roll out to other elections globally throughout the rest of the year,” the company said in a blog post.
Snap Is Shutting Down Some Sponsored Content
Earlier this month, Snap added a new clause to its community guidelines, Digiday reports. A new bullet point under “Impersonation & Spam” section states, “We prohibit spam and deceptive practices, including content that imitates Snapchat ad formats.”
Why it matters: For many creators on Snapchat, this addition finally provided an explanation to why their sponsored posts have been mysteriously disappearing from the platform.
The details: Snap’s spokesperson told Digiday that the change was made to help preserve the integrity of its ad product. The company doesn’t want the users to be under the impression that the posts they see within a Snapchat story are official Snap Ads. A Snap spokesperson also said that as long as the terms and guidelines are followed, the company will not stand in the way of creators and stop them from monetizing.
The Amount Of Accounts Promoting Fake Luxury Products On Instagram Triples
Researchers investigating groups of organized criminals promoting fake luxury products on Instagram found that the number of accounts involved in this activity (linked to such luxury brands as Gucci, Chanel, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Dior) nearly tripled over the past three years.
Why it matters: Instagram’s shift from social media to ecommerce platform created opportunities to conveniently shop, but it also created more opportunities for fraud.
The details: The team conducting the research used special logo-recognition tool along with hashtag and keyword searches, and scanned almost four million Instagram posts. The researchers found almost 56,769 accounts involved in scamming. To compare, in 2016, the same team found 20,882 accounts.
Andrea Stroppa, CEO of Ghost Data, who spearheaded the research, told NBC News, “The luxury brands I speak to are frustrated because it’s so easy to find these accounts, but Instagram is not very responsive.”
Twitter Announces Q1 Results
On Tuesday morning, Twitter released the report on its First Quarter 2019 results.
Why it matters: Although, compared to the same quarter last year, the monthly user growth figure is not significantly higher, the user base is growing steadily (from 321 million last quarter to 330 million in Q1).
The details: According to the report, Twitter’s Q1 revenue totaled $787 million, an increase of 18 percent YoY or 20 percent on a constant currency basis. Advertising revenue totaled $679 million, an increase of 18 percent YoY or 20 percent on a constant currency basis. Total ad engagements increased by 23 percent YoY. Cost per engagement (CPE) decreased by 4 percent YoY.
Ad engagements increase on Twitter can be explained by the company’s recent efforts to make the platform less toxic and safer for brands.
“We are taking a more proactive approach to reducing abuse and its effects on Twitter,” Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s CEO said in the report.
Publishers Actively Use TikTok
According to Digiday, publishers are actively employing TikTok into their marketing strategies.
Why it matters: TikTok is among the platforms most suitable for reaching young audiences, as approximately 60 percent of its monthly active users in the U.S. are between 16 and 24 years old. These users are also very engaged with the app, spending about 46 minutes per day on TikTok.
The details: TikTok doesn’t have a way for publishers to directly monetize on the app yet (although they are testing biddable ads). But some publishers are still taking their chances with the wildly popular app. For example, since February, NBC News’ “Stay Tuned” has posted 26 videos on TikTok. And in March, ESPN joined the app with a video set to TikTok-sensation-turned-billboard-hit “Old Town Road.”
Vine’s Successor, Byte, Starts Beta Testing
Business Insider reported that a new video-sharing app, Byte, developed by a co-creator of Vine, starts beta testing for 100 users on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Taking into consideration that Vine was once a thriving company, attracting over 200 million active users, the venture might be successful.
The details: According to the former Vine co-creator and Byte app developer, Dom Hofman, Byte’s beta testing will most likely feel similar to Vine’s beta testing. However, the Byte app will change as it grows, he told Business Insider.
Twitter acquired Vine in 2012 but had to shut it down in 2016 because it struggled to make it profitable.
“Hey Google, Play YouTube Music”
YouTube Music is now offering free, ad-supported music experiences on Google Home speakers and other Google Assistant-powered speakers.
Why it matters: Ad-supported version of the service provides an opportunity for advertisers to invest their ad dollars and take advantage of unskippable commercials.
The details: The free ad-supported version doesn’t allow for skipping tracks, playing a previous song, accessing YouTube Music playlists directly or downloading tracks, but can be upgraded to Premium for $9.99/month.
The service is currently available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, and Austria. And is coming to more countries soon.
Credit-Card Companies Increase Spending On Social Media Ads
Big credit-card issuers, like American Express and Capital One, raise spending on Facebook ads, Wall Street Journalreported.
Why it matters: Credit-card companies are slowly moving away from direct-mail promotions and invest more in social media to attract new borrowers.
The details: Capital One and American Express spent an estimated $18.6 million and $13.5 million, respectively, on Facebook ads designed to sign up new consumer-credit-card holders in 2018, up from $2.8 million and $4 million in 2017, and Discover spent over $1 million on consumer-credit-card ads aimed at new borrowers on Facebook in 2018, up from $426,000 a year earlier, WSJ reported.
Snap Announces Snapchat Shows Regional Ad Partners
Snapchat recently revealed advertising partners for its new ad product, “Commercials,” Digitalstudiome reported.
Why it matters: The fact that some of the major global brands have already signed up for Commercials proves that publishers are able to monetize short-form original content created for social media digital platforms.
The details: Snapchat’s new six-second, unskippable ad format has already attracted Nestlé, BMW, Mini Cooper, Samsung, Louvre and Almarai. These companies were the first to try the new ad format, which will only be available in Snapchat Shows in UAE and KSA.
Snap’s Leadership Team Shifts
On Monday, Business Insider reported that Snapchat’s CEO, Evan Spiegel, appointed a new leadership team of seasoned deputies.
Why it matters: In the past two years, Snap has faced many issues, with executive churn one of the main issues. Building a strong, permanent team of leaders is crucial for the company’s future success.
The details: The two major appointments to the team are Snapchat’s co-founder, Bobby Murphy, and Jeremi Gorman, a former Amazon executive, who is now Snap’s chief business officer.
Murphy served as Snap’s chief technology officer since 2012, leading engineering and research at the company. He is Snap’s second-largest shareholder with 46.4 percent total voting power and is a member of Snap’s board of directors. Gorman’s previous career achievements include building Amazon’s ad business as the head of global advertising sales. At Snap, she will be responsible for developing the company’s business strategy, including revenue and advertising performance.
Facebook Photo Filter For ‘Happy’ Series
According to Mobile Marketer, NBCUniversal’s cable channel, Syfy, added AR experiences to the mobile app for promotion of its dark comedy series, Happy!
Why it matters: The interactive AR experiences offered to the app users should bring additional engagement and extend the campaign’s reach to mobile-savvy fans of Happy!
The details: The mobile users are now able to see a digital version of Happy–the flying unicorn that haunts the thoughts of a hitman, Nick Sax. The best part is that the fans can now interact with Happy through the Facebook photo filter and get fun selfies for their social media.
Instagram Considers Hiding Like Counts
The reverse-engineering expert, Jane Manchun Wong, spotted a design change test, which shows that Instagram is testing the feature that would hide likes count.
Why it matters: Although the feature might upset many users, it should improve some Instagram practices. For example, it might encourage the creators to post content that is authentic and reduce the pressure of gaining as many likes as possible.
The details: “We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get. During this test, only the person who shares a post will see the total number of likes it gets,” Instagram explained to Tech Crunch.
Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, April 19. 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.
Women prefer direct-to-consumer beauty brands that are environmentally conscious and use diverse representation, according to a survey by commerce marketing cloud provider Yotpo.
Yotpo surveyed 1,875 women who indicated that they do at least half of their shopping online and prefer to purchase beauty products directly from the brand. A majority of respondents (1,000) hailed from the US, while the rest were from the UK. Generation groups consisted of a 500/500/500/373 split of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers, respectively.
A majority of those surveyed indicated an affinity for brands that use diverse models both in ethnicity (75 percent) and body type (84 percent).
A majority (65.8 percent) also bought beauty products directly from the brand via its ecommerce site even though it was available through third-party retailers. When asked why, respondents indicated a better selection, better price and convenience.
When selecting a brand to purchase from, the most important factors were that the product was organic/clean, eco-friendly and that the brand used diversity/inclusion in its marketing. Overall nearly half (49 percent) of respondents prefer brands that were founded by women. This is especially important among Millennials (aged 23-38) and Gen Z (aged 14-22) and among US respondents.
At 46.6 percent, reviews are listed at the most influential in making purchase decisions, followed by referrals and word of mouth at 43.7 percent. The next most effective channel is brand emails at just 18.8 percent. Influencers weren’t as influential as third-party referrals in the minds of consumers, with only 12.6 percent listing them as a motivating factor.
Yotpo’s findings are similar to a 2019 study by Atlantic Re:think that found approximately 55 percent of Gen Z consumers (aged 14-24) said they use products recommended by a friend. However, the study found a bit more (36 percent) used products advocated by an influencer.
Just over a third (36 percent) listed positive reviews as the top purchase motivator for products they “don’t really need.” The two youngest age groups, Gen Z and Millennials, preferred customer-posted photos and video content over owned channels.
Yotpo found that a majority of its beauty consumer respondents belonged to one or more loyalty programs. Amazon Prime was the most common, followed by “other retailer,” “beauty retailer” and “beauty brand.” Only 16 percent did not participate in a loyalty program of this kind.
In January, Sephora announced an update to its Beauty Insider program that gives members more perks, especially for their birthdays. The global beauty market is predicted to grow to $750 billion by 2024, according to Inkwood research, giving brands even more motivation to keep existing customers happy.
Airbnb will invest in original programming to establish itself as an authority on travel culture. With an initial public offering expected next year, the start-up has set its sights on rapid expansion in terms of services but also organic engagement with travelers.
The home-sharing platform already produced a documentary called Gay Chorus Deep South that will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 29. The documentary follows the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus as they toured the Southeastern United States. The Gay Men’s Chorus will perform live at Tribeca following the documentary screening.
Airbnb isn’t stopping there, inside sources told Reuters. A TV show called Home is planned for the newly announced Apple streaming service, featuring unique dwellings and those who live there. Home will be executive produced by Joe Poulin, founder of the luxury vacation rental platform Luxury Retreats. Airbnb acquired Luxury Retreats in 2017.
“We are early in the R+D [research and development] phase of this process,” Chris Lehane, Airbnb’s senior vice president of global policy and communications said in a statement to Yahoo Finance. “While we are not looking to create a traditional 20th century model, as a global people-to-people platform with tremendous organic traffic to our site, we know that that experiential content in a variety of forms is important to engagement and we are focused on finding and supporting the kind of tastemaker content—like the Airbnb Magazine—that is consistent with our mission of belonging.”
Airbnb hosts nearly five million lodging options across 81,000 global cities and as of March 2017, was valued at $31 billion during its last round of funding. Forbes estimates that the company is now worth at least $38 billion. Last week, the company finalized its acquisition of HotelsTonight, an app that connects travelers with boutique and independently-run hotels for last-minute bookings.
Ahead of its IPO, which is expected sometime in 2020, Airbnb must set itself apart from other travel brands in a $7.6 trillion industry. The company is not the first travel and hospitality brand to venture into original programming, either, making this new venture even more challenging.
Booking.com is two seasons into A Sense of Place, a vacation rental show hosted by influencer Matt Landau. In September, Carnival Corporation compiled all its branded video content onto an app called OceanView Mobile. At launch, the app featured over 150 full episodes of popular ocean travel TV shows and short-form videos with the goal of increasing cruise vacation awareness.
Each April 22, Earth Day celebrates our planet and the efforts being taken—or that should be taken—to protect it. And, each year, several brands join the conversation with announcements, partnerships and ongoing initiatives to let consumers know they care.
The North Face Says ‘Make It Official’
The North Face closed its 112 stores and is petitioning to make Earth Day a National Holiday along with 15 other organizations. The outdoor gear brand says it has been active in its conservation efforts since being founded in 1966, four years before the tradition of Earth Day began.
In the week leading up to Earth Day 2019, The North Face launched an initiative in NYC called “Explore Mode,” designed to encourage consumers to experience their surroundings, even the urban ones. The initiative included a 90s-themed concert by musician Ella Mai and fashion curator Brian Procell, culinary experiences by Chef Angela Dimayuga and an art exhibition by Model-artist-activist Gabrielle Richardson.
Other Explore Mode events are planned for London, Manchester, Munich and Paris.
Stop Scrolling. Start Exploring. Stand for exploration by signing the #Earth DayPetition and unplug to connect in real life. #neverstopexploring
Glaciers are melting and the oceans are rising. According to Snapchat and the United Nations, humans need to curb emissions or else the world we know it will get a whole lot wetter by the year 2100.
Snapchat and the United Nations created a special Lens that superimposes different levels of water in a user’s environment based on the year and scientific data. The Lens is available to US Snapchat users for 24 hours in celebration of Earth Day.
Snapchat cites projections from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, stating that the oceans will rise by 10 to 30 inches by 2100.
The effects of climate change are altering the world around us.
Anheuser-Busch InBev Saves Trees, Swaps Ads With Nature
AB InBev has taken a number of initiatives for Earth Day this year that includes the continuing partnership between Busch beer and the National Forest Foundation.
For Earth Day, Busch is holding a fundraiser for the National Forest Foundation by selling a photography book called Rooted in Love: Busch’s Book of Beautiful Trees. Busch is donating all proceeds of the $20 book to the conservation of America’s National Forests. In September, the two organizations partnered to send consumers into the woods for a chance to win free beer for a year.
Michelob Ultra, meanwhile, introduced a Chrome plug-in that replaces advertisements with nature photography. The Earth Day activation uses consumers’ disdain for ads, claiming that the average person sees over 5,000 ads a day. “Wouldn’t you rather see nature instead?” the promotion asks.
When the “Pure Gold Ad Blocker” plug-in is installed, it replaces advertisements with a nature photo, overlayed with the hashtag #ExperiencePureGold.
Escape the digital. Embrace the natural. 🌄
Introducing our Pure Gold Ad Blocker that replaces ads with refreshing moments in nature.
PepsiCo announced a new carbonated water dispenser for the foodservice industry that will encourage reusable containers. The new machines will allow consumers to choose the level of carbonation, flavor and temperature.
An app will help consumers track water consumption and use a QR code that the machine will recognize along with beverage preferences. Users will also be given data such as the number of plastic bottles they are saving by using their own.
The new machine is part of PepsiCo’s goal to use 25 percent recycled content in its plastic packaging by the year 2025.
With each new generation, brands are adapting to consumer trends. Earth Day began in 1970 but as the March 15 “Global Warming Walkout” illustrated, young consumers are demanding action not just from Government officials, but brands they choose to support.
This week’s executive shifts include a promotion for Ulta Beauty’s chief marketing officer and CMO appointments for G-Star Raw, Hitachi, John Hopkins Medicine and Dutch Brothers.
G-Star RAW appointed Gwenda van Vliet as the company’s newest chief marketing officer. Van Vliet comes to the company after spending the last two years as CMO of Wolford. Before that, she spent the better part of a decade at VF Corporation (Northface, Jansport), most recently as global marketing director.
According to G-Star RAW, van Vliet “will serve as the global brand and marketing architect responsible for defining, amplifying and expanding our brand voice to position the business for long term growth.”
‘I’ve always admired G-Star’s unconventional ethos, including the culture, creativity and innovative spirit of the brand. These core values are what makes G-Star unique and I am thrilled to work with the team on the important task to deliver a bold, new and exciting point of view to our consumers around the world,” van Vliet said in a statement.
El Pollo Loco Appoints Digital Marketing VP
El Pollo Loco appointed Brian Wallunas as the company’s vice president of digital marketing. Wallunas joins the company from Coca-Cola, where he was the director, digital technology, national foodservice. Wallunas also had positions at Arby’s and Dominos, where he as the director of digital experience.
“Brian is a critical team addition as we seek to increase brand loyalty and digitize our business,” said El Pollo Logo CMO Hector Muñoz said in a statement. “His proven digital abilities will be key in bringing frictionless convenience for our customers as the brand continues to pursue sustainable growth through our transformation agenda.”
Former Disney President Of Marketing Joins Warner Bros. Pictures
Jim Gallagher joins Warner Bros. Pictures as EVP of marketing, animation and family. Gallagher is a film marketing veteran who has worked for Dreamworks, Disney and MGM Studios.
“Jim is a highly regarded animation and family marketing executive who’s incredibly creative and has an enviable track record,” said president of worldwide marketing at Warner Bros. Pictures Blair Rich. “As we expand our activities in this space, we’ll look to his experience and recognized expertise to help us reach the broadest audiences for these films with strategic, globally relevant marketing campaigns. I’m excited for Jim to join us, and I know he will be an incredible addition to our Warner Bros. team.”
Dominos UK Marketing Director Leaves To Join Dreams
Tony Holdway, Dominoes UK marketing and sales director, will leave the company in June according toCampaign. Holdway will join furniture company Dreams as chief marketing officer.
Ford Executive, Lincoln Head Marketer Retires
Robert Parker—global director, Lincoln marketing, sales and service—will retire from the company in June, he told Marketing Daily.
Parker has been with Ford since 1989. According to MediaPost, Parker “has been responsible for expanding and solidifying the brand’s identity in the global market.”
Paramount Pictures Hires Two Marketers From 20th Century Fox
According to THR, two former 20th Century Fox marketers will join the theatrical marketing team at Paramount Pictures. Danielle Kupchak will become EVP, global creative content and Len Iannelli will take the position of senior VP special projects and events.
Sony Pictures TV Studios Hires EVP, Brand Marketing Head
Maurizio Vitale has been named Sony Pictures TV Studios executive vice president, brand marketing and strategy. Vitale was recently Sony Pictures’ SVP marketing worldwide networks.
According to Deadline, “he will oversee marketing and promotion for all original SPT Studios series across broadcast, cable and digital distribution platforms, reporting to SPT Studios President Jeff Frost who just made the announcement in an internal memo.”
Vitale was previously SVP marketing at Oprah’s TV network OWN and before that spent a number of years at MTV Networks and Discovery Communications.
Dutch Brothers Appoints Ex-Under Amour Marketer As CMO
Dutch Brothers, a Portland-based coffeehouse franchise, appointed Rick Anguilla as the company chief marketing officer. Anguilla most recently acted as a consultant through his firm Guidance Counsel and continues in an advisory role for the University of Oregon Sports Product Management MBA program.
Prior to that, Anguilla spent three years with Under Amour, most recently as a strategic advisor to the CEO. He was also a VP at Nike from 1994 to 2004.
“Rick is a valuable addition to the Dutch Bros team and has hit the ground running,” said Dutch Brothers CEO Travis Boersma in a statement. “His expertise in brand strategy combined with his deep admiration for our culture makes it clear that Dutch Bros will be in good hands as we serve our existing communities and enter new markets.”
Four Seasons Consolidates Sales And Marketing With Promotion
Four Seasons promoted Ben Trodd to senior vice president, sales and hotel marketing. Trodd has been with Four Seasons since 2011, starting as a regional vice president and general manager.
“Ben is a seasoned hotel operator with a strong background in sales and marketing, and I am confident that his unique experiences and thorough understanding of our business will position him for success in this new role,” said Four Seasons EVP and CMO Peter Nowlan in a statement. “With a strong commitment to Four Seasons culture and values, and a strategic approach to leadership, Ben’s contributions to our sales and marketing teams worldwide will be of great value to our organisation, our partners, and ultimately our guests.”
Hitachi Hires Chief Marketing Officer
Last week, Hitachi announced the hiring of Jonathan Martin as the chief marketing officer of Hitachi Vantara.
He was previously chief marketing officer for Dell EMC, HP Software, Pure Storage and PortWise.
“As CMO, Martin will lead Hitachi Vantara’s worldwide marketing strategy, demand generation, digital and customer experience, brand and corporate communications, competitive and market intelligence, marketing operations and global learning teams,” Hitachi said in a statement.
Johns Hopkins Medicine Names Chief Marketing Officer, SVP
Johns Hopkins Medicine named Suzanne Sawyer as the company’s chief marketing officer and senior vice president. Sawyer was previously chief marketing officer at Penn Medicine and vice president, portfolio marketing at IBM Watson Health. She is also a lecturer at Wharton School in strategic brand management.
“I am very excited to be coming to Johns Hopkins,” Sawyer said in a statement. “I am passionate about spreading the word about cutting-edge education, science and health care. And for more than a century, Johns Hopkins has led the way, nationally and internationally, in all three of these areas. I can’t wait to get started on this new challenge.”
Ex-Subway CMO Appointed To Newman’s Own Board
Joe Tripodi, Subway’s former chief marketing officer who retired last year, has been appointed to Newman’s Own board of directors.
Tripodi had a long career in marketing, including high ranking positions at Mastercard, Coca-Cola, Allstate, Bank of New York and Seagram’s.
“It is a tremendous honor to join the Newman’s Own Board of Directors and assist, in some small way, in advancing the mission of Paul Newman to engage in ‘shameless exploitation in pursuit of the common good,'” said Mr. Tripodi in a statement. “I look forward to supporting the management team in their quest to drive incremental sales and new partnerships to continue to ‘feed’ Newman’s Own Foundation so they can expand their charitable contributions worldwide.”
Ulta Promotes Chief Merchandising And Marketing Officer
Dave Kimbell has been appointed the president and chief merchandising and marketing officer at Ulta Beauty. Kimbell was hired as CMO in 2014 and added merchandising to his responsibilities a year later.
Previously, Kimbell was CMO at Seventh Generation and U.S. Cellular. He also had stops in marketing at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo.
“This increased responsibility recognizes Dave’s value to the company, his reputation in the industry and his track record of delivering outstanding performance,” said Ulta Beauty CEO Mary Dillon in a statement. “Dave plays a critical role in driving our business results and leading the organization as a member of the Executive Team. This expansion of Dave’s scope more closely aligns corporate strategy with the merchandising and marketing functions to identify future growth opportunities, strengthen execution, and extend our competitive advantage.”
Deschutes Appoints VP
Deschutes Brewery added beer marketing veteran Neal Stewart to their team. Stewart was appointed to the position of vice president of marketing and comes to Deschutes after spending five years at Dogfish Head. Stewart also spent three years in marketing at Flying Dog and five years with Pabst.
iAnthus Hires Chief Marketing Officer
Cannabis company iAnthus hired Neil Calvesbert as chief marketing officer. Calvesbert comes to the company after spending the last three years at Nicpure Labs as CMO.
Calvesbert was also previously vice president of global marketing at Monster Energy.
Editor’s Note:Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, April 19. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.
Our weekly social media news roundup helps marketers to stay on top of every social platform’s latest updates, insights, campaigns and more.
YouTube Will Give Premium Subscribers Money To Spend On Super Charts
Android Police reportedthis week that YouTube Premium is testing a feature that might soon allow the users to spend two dollars to “spoil” their favorite creators.
Why it matters: Super Chat is a feature popular among creators because it provides a way for them to find sources of monetization away from traditional advertising, which means they are always encouraged to produce content and attract more viewers.
The details: The gifting feature description says, “YouTube Premium is giving you one free, two-dollar value Super Chat every calendar month until May 31, 2019. When you send a Super Chat, your message will stand out and the creator will earn a share. Your free Super Chat will refresh on the first day of every calendar month, but it won’t accumulate. This is a limited time offer in the United States that can change at any time.”
Ad Council Partners With Snapchat To Stop Bullying
Ad Council and Snapchat teamed up to prevent bullying with the new Lens challenge.
Why it matters: Bullying is a relatable problem to many of the young users on Snapchat and combined with the interactive lens experience, should bring a lot of engagement to the platform.
The details: This is Snapchat’s first-ever social impact Lens Challenge. It encourages Snapchat users to share a time when someone had a positive impact on their lives. The lens challenge was given a name, ‘Because of You’ and it aims to inspire the users to be more expressive and kind to others, which also reflects Snap’s core values of being kind, smart and creative.
LinkedIn’s Editor-At-Large Explains News On LinkedIn
LinkedIn editor-at-large, Jessi Hempel, appeared on the Recode Media with Peter Kafka podcast this week and discussed why LinkedIn chooses to produce original news.
Why it matters: Being one of the leading social media platforms for professionals, LinkedIn regularly delivers quality content, which adds value and makes the users come back.
The details: Hempel, who joined LinkedIn in 2019, bringing years of journalism experience from Businessweek, Fortune, and WIRED. “News has the ability to make professionals smarter and, more important, to get them talking to each other across boundaries and borders around who you know and who you don’t, around things that matter to them in their professional lives,” said Hempel. “My work hopefully helps the people on LinkedIn get smarter about their work.”
Snapchat’s Ad Products After Partner Summit
On Friday, Digiday shared some insights into Snapchat’s new pitch deck.
Why it matters: This information helps marketers to get a better idea about how to use their ad dollars on Snapchat.
The details: Digiday recently accessed a pitch deck from a U.S. ad agency. The deck provides some audience insights, such as Snap’s claiming to have 92 million in “monthly addressable reach” in the U.S. — as in users who actually see ads every month, and 34 percent of those users being in the 18 and 24 age group.
No Longer A Rumor: Facebook Is Working On An AI Voice Assistant For Portal And Oculus
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday that the social media company is in the process of developing a voice assistant.
Why it matters: This effort proves that Facebook is willing to continue working on its experimental technology. It doesn’t seem, however, that the company’s goal is to compete with Alexa and other voice assistants, but rather have it as a feature for its devices.
The details: “We are working to develop voice and AI assistant technologies that may work across our family of AR/VR products including Portal, Oculus and future products,” a spokesperson said.
Swarovski’s New Influencer Campaign
The global jewelry company announced on Thursday the rollout of its annual #FollowTheLight influencer campaign, focused on female empowerment.
Why it matters: The campaign celebrates inspirational women, including several female football stars, empowering one another, which is a great way to add value and emotional component to the marketing initiative.
The details: #FollowTheLight 2019 campaign launched in January and will feature both new ambassadors and ambassadors that have previously participated.
“Great British Bake Off” winner, Nadiya Hussain, will appear again as Swarovski #FollowTheLight ambassador. She will be joined by Giovanna Fletcher, a mother of three and a YouTube and Instagram influencer, who is a pioneer for celebrating female strength. Another two ambassadors participating are England football players Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby will promote team spirit and the importance of women supporting each other.
Reddit Updates Its NSFW Advertising Policy
This week, Reddit updated its ad policy and announced that adult-oriented product ads and services will no longer be permissible on Reddit. NSFW subreddits will also no longer be eligible for ads or targeting.
Why it matters: While the new policy is preventing certain companies from advertising their products, it creates a safer environment for younger users on the platform.
The details: Reddit will now reject and no longer run NSFW ads. NSFW subreddits will be removed from campaigns that may have been targeting them and these campaigns will stop tracking clicks or impressions on those subreddits. However, ads will continue to run on Safe for Work subreddits, if applicable.
However, “ads pertaining to products for the prevention of pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted infections, and erectile dysfunction are permissible, if they do not target minors and only focus on the clinical aspects of the product,” the company stated.
Study: An Impact Of Influencers And Video On Consumer Behavior
Olapic, a service that searches social media on behalf of brands for photos featuring their product, worked on a report on consumer behavior towards influencers and video.
Why it matters: Influencer campaigns and video on social media are two of the most successful trends in social media marketing, so it is important to know how they affect consumers’ decision making.
The details: The report hasn’t been publically disclosed yet, but per SocialMediaToday, here is what to take away:
64 percent of 16-22 year-olds follow influencers on social media
51 percent believe the content posted by other consumers is more authentic
37 percent of consumers trust images created by other consumers more than brand created images
48 percent of respondents have purchased a product after watching a brand video
52 percent of social media users have mentioned a brand in their feeds
34 percent have discovered a new brand based on a post published by an influencer
29 percent have purchased an item after seeing it on an influencer’s post
Pinterest Doesn’t Want To Be Compared To Social Media, But It Probably Should
According to Bloomberg, while Pinterest doesn’t want the investors to think about the platform as social media, rather a “visual discovery” platform,” it might benefit from being compared to other social platforms.
Why it matters: Pinterest is a one humongous “inspiration board” for interior design, vacations, fashion, special occasions and other ideas, giving it access to millions of people looking to buy stuff.
The details: Pinterest avoids the social media title, probably, because it sees itself as empowering creatives rather than a churn of conversation like Twitter and Facebook. “Social media at its best makes you feel socially validated, while Pinterest at best makes you feel creative and empowered to act,” Pinterest co-founder Ben Silbermann said.
But, comparisons to Facebook and Twitter could inevitably prove invaluable to Pinterest, as it highlights the platform’s direct line to shoppers.
LinkedIn “Job Search” App Will Be Deactivated
LinkedIn’s Job search app will be integrated into the main LinkedIn app in May.
Why it matters: A spokesperson toldCNET in an email statement, “We’ve built a robust job seeking experience within the main LinkedIn app that we’re excited for our members to take advantage of.”
The details: A pop-up message on the app states, “This app will retire in May. Get all Jobs & Premium features in the LinkedIn app.” And according to the LinkedIn spokesperson, the users will now have access to even more insights and features than the Job Search app offered.
Twitter Shares Its “Healthier Twitter” Progress
In a blog post, published on Tuesday, Twitter shared its progress in shaping a healthier conversation on the platform.
Why it matters: Healthy environment on a social media platform brings more user engagement.
The details: According to Twitter’s progress report, the team reviews 38 percent of abusive content, instead of relying on reports from the users; the platform saw 16 percent fewer abuse reports after an interaction from an account the reporter doesn’t follow; during January-March 2019 period, 100,000 accounts were suspended for creating new accounts after a previous suspension; new in-app appeal process allows for 60 percent faster response to appeal requests; 3 times more abusive accounts were suspended within 24 hours after a report, compared to the same time in 2018; and finally, 2.5 times more private information was removed from the platform.
Twitter Tests Mute Button
Also, on Tuesday, Twitter’s CEO, Jack Dorsey announced during a TED talk his plans to test mute button.
Why it matters: Mute button feature gives the users more control over the content they are exposed to on Twitter.
The details: If the feature is implemented, a person who initiates a conversation, as the original tweet’s author, will be able to hide any unwanted comments replying to the original tweet. Readers, on the other hand, will need to tap on the hidden tweet to reveal it.
Emarketer’s New Forecast On Native Ad Market
Emarketer predicts that native ads, driven by social feed ads, will account for almost two-thirds of display ad spend in 2019.
Why it matters: “Native formats have made significant inroads in channels like mobile apps, but there are still a lot of traditional display units being traded programmatically, especially on desktop and the mobile web,” said eMarketer principal analyst, Nicole Perrin. “Taking into account the fact that in-stream video is by definition nonnative, we don’t expect native to completely take over display. And if social platforms are successful in attracting dollars to newer pre-roll and mid-roll formats, that could make their revenue mix less native as well.”
The details: According to eMarketer, this year, native advertising will account for 62.7 percent of total US display ad spending, compared to 54.2 percent in 2017. The lion share of native ad spend will go to social network platforms, and Facebook will get most of it. In 2019, native advertising will account for 95.6 percent of social digital display ad spend. Per the forecast, US advertisers will spend $43.90 billion this year on native display ads, which is $8.66 billion more than was spent last year.
An Influencer Campaign Boosts US Polo Brand Recall
According to a case study by HelloSociety US Polo company was able to increase brand recall by 95 percent with its new influencer campaign.
Why it matters: HelloSociety’s survey on the campaign revealed that 88 percent of respondents felt more connected to the brand, when they saw influencer partnerships with US Polo.
The details: Tommy DiDario, Elly Brown, Brittany Fullwood and Saul Rasco participated in the campaign, the goal of which was to raise brand awareness and bring people into the Polo stores.
The survey found that 71 percent of participants intended to take one or more actions, after seeing an influencer partnership; 35 percent intended to visit the brand’s website; 35 percent wanted to make an immediate purchase and 56 percent wanted to buy in the future.
Snapchat Publishes A Report On The Evolution Of Video
On Monday, Snapchat shared a new study from The National Research Group (commissioned by Snap Inc.), focused on the evolution of video and mobile content trends.
Why it matters: According to the report, video will reach another tipping point in 2019. It predicts that mobile will surpass traditional TVentirely as the medium attracting the most entertainment minutes in the US. Which once again proves that marketers’ focus should be on mobile video.
The details: Here are some other important takeaways:
Live TV viewership is diminishing, especially among younger viewers (ages 18-24)
TV season length is on the decline with 41 percent drop in season length since 2003
6 of the 11 hours spent with media are devoted to video on any device
US adults spend an average of 3.5 hours daily on mobile in 2018
Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of Gen Z and Millennials say they have increased
the amount of mobile video they watch over the
past year
92 percent of Millennials and Gen Zs said that watching mobile video via an app is a welcome distraction for them; 89 percent said it helps them discover new interests; 88 percent said it leaves them feeling positive and uplifted; 83 percent said that it keeps them “in the know.”
Twttr Proves To Be Even More Popular Than Its “Father,” Twitter
Accordingto Sarah Haider, Twitter’s director of product management, the users who tried Twttr, prefer it to the Twitter app.
Why it matters: Twttr might never be able to suppress Twitter, but it has chances to become the next big thing in the social media world.
The details: Twttr was launched recently with an intent to test new features that may or may not eventually transfer to the main app. What’s interesting, though, is that so far, beta testers seem to like Twttr more than Twitter.
Survey Reveals Consumers’ Behavior In Relation To Ads On Social
A digital marketing agency, Blue Fountain Media, conducted a survey to determine consumer behavior and opinions on paid social media ads.
Why it matters: The survey focused on consumers’ perceptions of brand authenticity in relation to paid social, and what role organic social plays in that perception; the role that paid social plays in their purchasing cycle; as well as overall consumer awareness of what’s paid versus organic content.
The details: According to the survey, the most paid ads are clicked on on Facebook (38 percent), followed by Instagram (37 percent), YouTube (14 percent), Twitter (5 percent), Pinterest (4 percent) and LinkedIn (2 percent).
Some of the other findings included31 percent of respondents stating they enjoy video ads the most. Also, 69 percent want to visit a company’s website before buying a product they saw on social feed; 51 percent will purchase from a celebrity or influencer endorsed brand; 35 percent are suspect when a #Ad or #Sponsored Content tag appears in a post and view it as a fake endorsement; 75 percent say ads have taken over their feeds and 25 percent say their feeds are well balanced; and use of audio in an ad was reported the biggest turn off for 27 percent of the respondents.
TikTok Aggressively Recruits From Snap
Digiday reported on Monday that Bytedance, the owner of TikTok, has hired dozens of people from digital agencies and other social apps, most notably from Snap, to build TikTok’s sales and partnerships team.
Why it matters: This tactic makes sense, as TikTok and Snapchat are very similar: both specialize in the short-form vertical video content and both have younger audiences. Their ad products are also similar, with vertical video and augmented reality ads.
The details: TikTok and Snap are based in Los Angeles, approximately five miles away from each other, so they have access to pretty much the same pool of potential employees. According to LinkedIn, TikTok has already hired at least 14 people from Snap. And the former Snap employees told Digiday that several of their former colleagues who still work for the app had been approached.
Facebook To Ad Swipeable Hybrid Carousel
In its attempt to shift to Stories, Facebook might soon turn its News Feed into Story Feed.
Why it matters: The fact that users don’t scroll down the “million-mile long” newsfeed anymore, affects Facebook’s ad business.
The details: Stories have proven to be more effective for ads because the swipeable carousel makes the users more prone to swipe through, and therefore brings more engagement for content or ad. Advertisers might benefit from the full-screen Stories ad format on Facebook, if the feature is introduced.
Gigi Hadid Is A New McDonald’s Influencer
According to Harper’s Bazaar, supermodel Gigi Hadid announced at Coachella last weekend that she is a McDonald’s influencer now.
Why it matters: Hadid is already successfully collaborating with such brands as Maybelline, Tommy Hilfiger, Fendi and Moschino. She’s also a regular at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, so it is natural that McDonald’s wants to join the party and work with Hadid, who has 47 million followers on Instagram alone.
The details: On Sunday, Hadid shared a photo on her Instagram, McDonald’s fries in hand, saying, “pre festival with @mcdonalds yesterday❣️fed & hydrated, thanks friends ! 🌞🍟✨”
Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, April 19. 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.
Coca-Cola launched two new low-calorie flavors of Glacéau Vitaminwater—Fire and Ice—with comedic social activations, a fictional museum, experiential marketing and a trip to Iceland.
Glacéau Vitaminwater debuted a tongue-in-cheek campaign to promote its Fire (spicy watermelon lime) and Ice (cool blueberry lavender) flavors. The brand began teasing the flavors on its social channels March 11 before launching a series of shows and attractions, not all of which were real.
“The new flavors are the latest examples of The Coca-Cola Company listening to consumers and quickly innovating to offer beverage choices that satisfy a variety of changing tastes and lifestyles,” wrote Jay Moye, editor-in-chief of Coca-Cola’s Journey blog. The new flavors hit stores nationwide In March, with distribution to Amazon.com and Walmart.com scheduled for late-April.
In the meantime, a “Fire and Ice Sweepstakes” invites consumers to choose which flavor they prefer, post a photo of it on Instagram and enter to win several prizes each week ranging from bluetooth speakers to branded tumblers. Entrants must use the hashtag #vitaminwatersweepstakes, along with an emoji or either fire or snow. The grand prize is a VIP trip to Iceland for the Secret Solstice Music Festival June 21-23.
Fire: Attitude And Not-Actual-Reality TV
A microsite has been dedicated to a fictional reality series called “Xtreme Urban Farming.” The show follows Todd Hades, a tough-as-nails farmer who, together with this horticulture renegades, developed the peppermelon—a watermelon/hot pepper hybrid supposedly used to make Vitaminwater Fire.
The real product and fake fruit have gone on tour with a food truck offering drink samples. The Xtreme Urban Farming truck made its debut at SXSW Austin and is scheduled to appear at food truck festivals and farmers markets in Los Angeles, NYC and Boston on various dates until May 20.
Ice:Cold As Your Ex
Glacéau Vitaminwater likened its new Ice flavor to the melancholia of a breakup and partnered with a fake artist named Tommy Lavender to curate an equally fake “Ex Museum.”
The Ex Museum features six “ex-hibits” that capture relationships lost, “frozen in time.” One surreal example, “Iced Out,” is a statue of someone staring longingly at a mobile phone.
“There is no colder feeling than searching your ex’s name on social media, seeing nothing, continuing to search in vain, until coming to that realization that you’ve been blocked from all communication with your ex,” reads the description. “The Iced Out ex-hibit allows you to relive that cold feeling over and over until you feel nothing at all.”
Since consumers can’t actually visit the museum, Vitaminwater took to Twitter and offered to replace ex-lovers in photos with a bottle of Vitaminwater Ice. Several users accepted the offer, dubbing the Photoshop work an “ice upgrade.”
Coca-Cola has used a number of comedic tactics to promote new Vitaminwater flavors recently. Last July, the brand launched a series of guerilla marketing tactics for Glacéau Vitaminwater that were spotted online and in the real world. These promotions highlight fictional products, groups and characters, each associated with a different Vitaminwater flavor.
Water, enhanced water and sports drinks grew three percent in 2018, the Coca-Cola Company reported, saying, “We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market.”
The Coca-Cola Company has not responded for comment.
