This week in social media news, Reddit (finally) decides to translate its massive popularity into site revenue and Instagram tests a question feature.
In other news, Snapchat brings AR to theme parks, Facebook competes for soccer streams, Twitter hosts tennis and Facebook abandons recent app purchases. Also, Pinterest shares trends for July, Facebook makes changes to its Marketing API and WhatsApp gives more control to Group Admins.
Reddit Offers New Advertising Packages
One of the most popular places on the internet is courting advertisers. According to a 28-page presentation obtained by CNBC, Reddit is offering various advertising packages including “top post takeovers” for 24 hours and another that gives brands a prominent place on the sidebar. The presentation includes case studies from brands including Duracell, Toyota, Coca-Cola and JetBlue.
As of May, Reddit was number six in the world in terms of traffic, according to Alexa. The 13-year-old birthplace of memes and debate has become a bustling hub of discussion for internet users of various age groups and interests, so Reddit’s move toward more aggressive advertising is a natural next step.
Instagram Tests Open-Ended Questions
In a move to make Instagram Stories more interactive, the company is testing the ability to ask open-ended questions. The feature was spotted last week in the app’s code and now users in Spain and Indonesia have been spotted asking questions on their Stories, according to TechCrunch. Instagram users posting Stories can already ask poll questions with pre-determined choices. The ability to ask open-ended questions of followers will allow creators to encourage conversation around ideas.
Snapchat Makes First AR Deal With Six Flags
Visitors to Disney and Universal Studios theme parks can already give themselves Mickey or Minnie Mouse ears, add geofilters or watch Minions run amok, and now Snapchat has penned its first ever deal with Six Flags, too. Beginning Monday, visitors to 11 Six Flags parks are able to turn themselves into Superman or watch him save the day in augmented reality. This is the first time Snapchat will run AR experiences in all three major parks.
Facebook Shutters Hello, tbh and Moves
Facebook is cleaning house on a slew of apps it has acquired or launched in the last few years, citing low usage. In the coming weeks, Facebook will depreciate Hello, an Android app in Brazil, US and Nigeria that combines information from Facebook and contact information from a user’s device. In addition, the company will abandon Moves, a fitness app purchased in 2014 and tbh, an app for high school students acquired just last year. Data from these three apps will be deleted within the next 90 days.
Wimbledon Returns To Twitter For Third Year
Tennis fans on social media can tune in to Twitter again this year, where the Wimbledon Championships are being livestreamed through June 15. Twitter has introduced three custom hashtag emoji for #Wimbledon, #TakeOnHistory and #TheQueue to promote conversation around the event. For the third year in a row, live commentary and interviews will be streamed from The Wimbledon Channel.
Facebook Eyes Premier League TV Rights
Speaking of sport, Facebook is currently negotiating the rights to broadcast the English Premier League in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, a source told Bloomberg. While the price of securing rights in Premier League’s native UK may be too rich, securing a three-year deal in smaller countries could help Facebook attract more users in the APAC region. The same source indicated that an official announcement will be made in the coming weeks.
Pinterest To Marketers: Seasonal Pins Performs Better
What can marketers take away from the fact that saves of “micro sunglasses” Pins are up 1,305 percent year-over-year? Or that women are saving “spiral hair ties” 2,198 percent more, too? For one thing, summer is definitely in the air. More importantly, though, advertisers on Pinterest need to consider that Pins about seasonal topics can drive 10 times higher aided awareness than those that aren’t as timely.
“No matter the month, it’s always helpful to tie your Pins to seasonal moments,” writes Talia Parnass, head of content marketing at Pinterest. “Try to work a summer angle into your Pin this July: think about beach scenes, outdoor entertaining and other popular activities for the warmer months.”
Parnass also advises showing your product or service in context so that users can visualize it in their own lives. In general, lifestyle images and Pins that provide context perform better than Pins that show products on their own.
Facebook Outlines New API Restrictions
Beginning on Monday, Facebook has introduced new restrictions on its API to protect user information. Marketing API now requires an app review before developers can use it, and the process has been reduced from three tiers to two.
“These changes will continue to enable developers to create social experiences while protecting people’s information,” explained Ime Archibong, Facebook’s vice president of product partnerships.
Other changes include the depreciation of Graph API Explorer App, Profile Expression Kit and inside Media Solutions the following will be depreciated soon: Topic Search, Topic Insights and Topic Feed and Public Figure APIs.
WhatsApp Admins Granted More Control
WhatsApp Groups designed for announcements and important information as opposed to casual conversations (non profit groups, teachers, etc.) may find messages from its members distracting from pressing matters. To address this problem, new controls have been added to let Admins control the flow of messages. Admins can now change their settings so that only Admins can send messages to a group.
This change is the latest in a series of changes WhatsApp has made to Groups that include protection so users can’t be repeatedly added to groups they’ve left, the ability to catch up on missed mentions after time away and additional Admin controls.
Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, July 6. 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.
This week, book retailer Barnes & Noble announced the immediate departure of its CEO.
Barnes & Noble CEO Departs
Retailer Barnes & Noble announced that its chief executive, Demos Parneros, is leaving without severance due to unspecified violations of company policy. However, the statement makes clear that his departure has nothing to do with “any disagreement with the company regarding its financial reporting, policies or practices or any potential fraud relating thereto.” A leadership group has been appointed with shared responsibilities of the office until a new CEO is named, and they include: chief financial officer Allen Lindstrom, chief merchandising officer Tim Mantel and VP of stores Carl Hauch. Leonard Riggio will remain as executive chairman of the company and will continue to be involved in its management.
Parneros served as the company’s CEO for just over a year. In that time, he brought on a number of new executives and headed several initiatives, including the Barnes & Noble Book Club, to boost revenues despite declining foot traffic to retail stores.
Coty Ups Three Marketing Officers In Executive Restructure
Coty Inc. announced that it is restructuring the leadership of its consumer beauty division with the simultaneous promotions of three chief marketing officers who will oversee different segments of the business. Mike Bryce, Mark Cooper and Ukonwa Ojo will lead color cosmetics, retail hair and body care; lifestyle scenting; and Cover Girl and Sally Hansen replacing the former (single) marketing chief Friedemann Schmid, who leaves in September. The consumer beauty division’s restructuring was designed to increase attention toward brands such as Cover Girl, Sally Hansen, Rimmel, Clairol and Max Factor, which are in various stages of relaunching.
“I’m confident that these moves will enable us to realize our vision and deliver on our mission at Coty to become a clear challenger in beauty,” Laurent Kleitman, Coty’s president of consumer beauty, said in a statement.
Video Advertising Bureau Promotes VP
Jason Wiese has been promoted to senior vice president and director of strategic insights of the Video Advertising Bureau. He was previously vice president of strategic insights, and will “provide marketers with industry-defining data, actionable thought leadership and custom reports to navigate and optimize the ever-expanding world of premium multiscreen video content,” in his new role according to a statement by the VAB. Wiese joined the company in 2013 and has authored many of its signature reports.
Travelstart Hires New CMO
Jerome Touze has been named as Travelstart’s new chief marketing officer, based in Cape Town. Touze co-founded the social networking site Wayn.com and served as its COO before joining Travelstart.
GE CMO Joins Ad Council Board Chair
Linda Boff, the chief marketing officer for GE, has been named chair of the Ad Council’s Board of Directors. Boff will serve one year in this role, working closely with the executive committee, the governing body of the Ad Council’s Board, and Ad Council leadership to help raise awareness and inspire action on behalf of national social issues. She is also tasked with managing and advising business affairs and policy initiatives, in addition to chairing the Ad Council’s 2018 Annual Public Service Award Dinner on December 5, 2018 at the New York Hilton.
In a statement, Ad Council President and CEO Lisa Sherman said, “We’re thrilled to announce Linda’s leadership role as Chair of the Board … Linda is one of the most forward-thinking leaders in our industry, with an unparalleled passion for innovation and social good. Her leadership will be an invaluable asset to our Board and many of the most critical social issues facing our country.”
Walmart Hires New CMO; Creates Chief Customer Officer Position
Retail giant Walmart announced the hiring of Barbara Messing as its new chief marketing officer, replacing Tony Rogers (who is moving to Sam’s Club) in August. She will report to Janey Whiteside, who was hired at the same time to the newly created role of chief customer officer, which focuses on attracting shoppers and offering improved customer service during a time when retail stores are having increased difficulty retaining shoppers. Whiteside will be responsible for both Walmart’s physical stores and its ecommerce offerings when she joins in August.
Wharf Hotels Welcomes Marketing VP
Wharf Hotels has appointed Sandy Russell to vice president of sales and marketing. In this role, she will oversee the hospitality management company’s sales and marketing while spearheading revenue optimization and distribution initiatives alongside global sales and marketing. Prior to joining Wharf Hotels, Russell was the Asia-Pacific VP of commercial operations at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, based in Singapore.
“We are delighted to have Sandy lead our team and look forward to the next phase in our growth and development with her global marketing expertise,” said Wharf Hotels president Jennifer Cronin.
Editor’s Note:Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, July 6. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.
On Tuesday, Wendy’s debuted Fruit Tea Temptation, a romantic short story on Wattpad centered around its summer beverages. Storytelling is a common theme in marketing today, but it’s not often a brand takes this concept quite so literally.
“Courtney knew what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn’t stop,” reads the first story about desire and Berry Cherry Fruit Tea. “She was entranced, acting on primal instinct, her body overtaken by desire. Courtney bit her lip. She wanted to take the Fruit Tea and run away, run from all the troubles of the world, leaving behind her old life to start anew.”
Wattpad is a community of writers and story enthusiasts that boasts 65 million MAU. A number of brands like Hulu and Netflix have launched story-themed campaigns on the platform, but Wendy’s decided to take a different approach—just create an account and start writing.
“Literally telling stories is such an area of opportunity,” Jimmy Bennett, senior director of media and social for Wendy’s told AListDaily. “This is clearly an area where Wattpad has resonated with an audience . . . what we love is that there are so many ways to tell stories. We submitted a mix tape a few months back [for example]. We’re just hungry to find different ways to continue this dialogue.”
The campaign was a way for Wendy’s team to have a bit of fun and engage with Wattpad users without a paid advertisement.
“We’re approaching it just as any other creator would,” said Bennett. “This is an entirely organic experience. We’ve worked with Wattpad just to get a better understanding of the community and how it works, but everything that we’re pushing out is based creatively on stories that we’re looking to tell and the fun that we’re looking to inject into this fan base.”
Wendy’s will publish another steamy beverage tale each week for six weeks. The stories are written by the same team that runs Wendy’s infamously sassy Twitter and other social personas, so users can expect a familiar voice. In fact, Bennett said that they are approaching Wattpad content as they would any other platform.
“We talk a little differently across different social platforms i.e. Twitter vs. Facebook but for the most part, we maintain that essence of what Wendy’s is all about—it’s a little bit sassy, it’s making sure we have fun, giving value to the conversation,” said Bennett. “We’re not in a position where we have to dramatically change how we’re talking [across platforms], it’s just a different conversation.”
It’s that conversation that drew Bennett and his team to Wattpad in the first place. Users post stories and other users respond.
“That dialogue happening around the [Wattpad] content mimics how we want to participate. We love that conversation and talking about things that we enjoy and fans enjoy. It’s where those conversations happen that we can get the most out of our experience.”
Since Wendy’s stories are being posted organically, the brand will have to measure success in ways others than traditional ROI. Luckily for Wendy’s, the brand is no stranger to earned media value. When Burger King invited Wendy’s to prom, for example, analysts estimated that both brands earned about $260,000 in earned media.
“We love stuff like that,” Bennett chuckled, remembering the famous “promposal.” “Our response was tailor-made for pick-up. It was a little unexpected but hey, if someone wants to have fun, we’ll jump in and have fun with them.”
Wendy’s has learned to “go with the flow” when it comes to earned media opportunities. Doing so earned the brand over $7 million dollars in earned media for the #NuggsForCarter incident alone.
“There’s definitely value in earned media,” said Bennett. “I think if you’re chasing it all the time, though, you’re probably not going to be able to get it. The true focus for us is staying fun, on point and relevant with our audience. We’ve been able to reap the benefits of that approach but I don’t know that we necessarily go out there expecting that things are going to be picked up in a [certain] way. We’re really happy when it does, but our true focus is just, again, making sure we’re having fun and engaging in this conversation with our consumers.”
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ D.I.C.E. Cannes 2018 (#DICECANNES) will take place September 9-11 in France. Leading video game executives and creators will gather to take part in the industry’s premier networking event. Key speakers will address the conference theme―Trailblazers―and tackle some of the industry’s biggest ideas and trends.
NEW VENUE & LOCATION IN THE FRENCH RIVIERA
The conference moves to a new location at the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes resides at the heart of the French Riviera on La Croisette in Cannes. Hotel Barrière is a legendary Art Deco palace and displays contemporary style without departing from its natural elegance. The hotel also offers breathtaking Mediterranean views and sits a few meters from the Palais des Festivals―where stars climb the red-carpeted steps each year.
INDUSTRY SPEAKERS & THEME
Available to all D.I.C.E. Cannes attendees are main stage presentations, solo presentations and fireside chats. Utilizing the Trailblazers theme speakers will discuss how they test creative and technological boundaries while defining the evolving culture of interactive entertainment. Game makers will share insights into the principals and tools that drive and empower them, their team and the community at large to create better worlds in which to play and live.
ROUNDTABLES
D.I.C.E. Cannes will have roundtables composed groups of approximately 10 to a table, perfect for networking and idea-sharing. A roundtable leader will present a compelling topic which will be explored from the varied perspectives of table participants. There will be three different roundtable rooms with each focused on a theme, to include: Business Leadership, Creative Development and Media Topics.
NETWORKING & EVENTS
Unparalleled networking opportunities are a hallmark of the D.I.C.E. Summit experience. This year’s networking events include Saint-Honorat island wine tasting, the opening party; and breakfasts, lunches and drinks each evening.
Don’t miss out on the D.I.C.E. Cannes 2018 event. AList readers receive a 10 percent discount to the conference and event. Please reach out to mguice@alistdaily.com to get your code for registration.
A new study conducted by Fuse reveals why more brands should embrace cause marketing as a means of reaching teenage audiences. The study, which surveyed 2,000 teens in the US between the ages of 14-17, found that 67 percent were more likely to purchase from a company that supported a cause than one that doesn’t.
Although “the environment” wasn’t a major concern in its 2016 study, it has grown to become one over the past year, knocking “global financial crisis” off the list. But even so, it still ranks relatively low compared to topics such as “education,” which remains at the No. 1 spot.
The top five issues that teens care the most about are:
Education
Jobs and Unemployment
Prejudice and Racism
The Environment
Terrorism
Fuse’s study also found an increase in teen activism since 2016, with more than a quarter of those surveyed stating that they’ve “attended protests or rallies” or “boycotted a company” in the last year. Additionally, 60 percent of teens report that recycle regularly, 42 percent have educated others about a cause, 33 percent volunteered for a cause and 22 percent donated money to a cause.
One of the biggest takeaways from the study is that 68 percent of teens say that corporations also have an obligation to help solve some of the nation’s social issues, which closely matches the expectations they have of themselves, as 67 percent said that they themselves have that responsibility. However, teens also appear to have a low opinion of how companies are doing, with 28 percent stating that they think companies are doing enough to support the causes they care about. Only about 10 percent said that neither teens nor corporations had an obligation to help solve today’s social issues.
Cause marketing has the potential to sway a large portion of the teen demographic. Fuse found that 69 percent of teens trusted a company more after learning it supported a social cause. Additionally, 62 percent were more likely to purchase the company’s products and 66 percent said they would pay more attention to the company’s marketing and advertising.
But teens are also a tough crowd to please, and they’re highly skeptical of companies and their support for causes. Only half of the surveyed teens believe that a company’s cause marketing is genuine if it makes a financial donation or if its employees work on the issue, and 44 percent believe in the company’s authenticity if its efforts are communicated in their marketing and/or advertising—and these are the three areas that generate the most trust among teens.
“Teens are saying that they don’t trust corporations in general, and they’re quite skeptical of even a brand’s cause marketing,” Bill Carter, a partner at Fuse, told AListDaily.
Unfortunately, there’s no single way to prove authenticity to teens, but brands may go a long way toward impressing them if they take takes one or more of those three steps.
According to Fuse’s study, the top three brands with cause marketing efforts that resonate the most with Generation Z are:
They join Ben and Jerry’s, Chili’s, and the NFL, which were the brands that got the most attention from teens in the 2016 study, and it’s no surprise that two out of the three newcomers support education-related causes.
But Carter said that there is a deeper takeaway, in that there’s very little connection between what the top-ranked companies do as businesses and the causes they support.
“Teens want brands to be rather selfless,” he explained. “They don’t want the tie [with causes] to be too intertwined with the company’s standard day-to-day business because then they’ll become even more skeptical of the cause marketing. They want to believe that the brand is doing something that is genuine by taking on a cause and solving some kind of social problem, but not as a direct benefit to the brand.”
June is Pride Month, and brands around America are eager to show their support. From donating to LGBTQ+ charities to hiding rainbow easter eggs in apps, here’s how brands are recognizing the anniversary month of the Stonewall Riots.
Big Brands Put Up Big Money
Several companies are choosing to donate their own money in celebration of Pride Month, including AT&T, which has donated one million dollars to The Trevor Project, a LGBTQ+ crisis intervention charity, the largest single donation in the organization’s history.
“We’re so incredibly grateful for AT&T’s generous support of The Trevor Project’s life-saving work,” said Amit Paley, CEO and executive director of The Trevor Project, in a press release for AT&T. “Now more than ever, it is critical for companies committed to inclusion to stand with LGBTQ youth and let young people everywhere know that they should be proud of who they are and that they are never alone.”
Vodka brand Stoli is also making monetary contributions to queer causes, giving a “sizable donation” to the Harvey Milk Foundation in exchange for the rights to use the gay rights activist’s likeness on special edition vodka bottles. The company has been auctioning off several of the bottles at fundraising events, earning the foundation another $10,000, and commissioned the bottle’s designer to paint a mural in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, near the Harvey Milk Plaza.
Inclusion In Gaming
The video game consumer culture has long had issues of toxicity toward its female and queer segments, but various brands are taking steps toward making their spaces safer.
Twitch has announced a substantive effort to promote LGBTQ+ livestreamers, posting a link to a new creator on Twitch’s homepage every day. Additionally, the company is fundraising for the Human Rights Campaign, working with the It Gets Better project, livestreaming the San Francisco Pride Parade and a host of other, small efforts.
Esports team Los Angeles Valiant, for its part, is partnering with the You Can Play Project to provide diversity and inclusion training for its players, as well as filming a PSA informing others in the community of the You Can Play initiative.
“For too long, the esports industry has been unfairly characterized as a toxic, unwelcoming environment,” said LA Valiant CEO Noah Whinston in a statement to AListDaily.
Brands Hop On The Pride Parade Bandwagon
The main events for Pride Month, regional Pride parades, offer brands an easy chance to come out in support of LGBTQ+ rights, and an easier way to get quick brand exposure from news coverage and social sharing.
“Through our annual Pride + Joy campaign, Macy’s joins community equality celebrations nationwide with in-store special events and support for local charity partners,” said Kristyn Doar-Page, Macy’s vice president of diversity and inclusion, in a statement.
Joining Macy’s in contributing to Pride parades are JetBlue and PVH, parent company to Calvin Klein and Speedo.
“I am incredibly proud that our PVH family around the world is once again coming together in support of the LGBTQ community to celebrate Pride,” said Emanuel Chirico, chairman and CEO of PVH.
Macy’s, PVH and Gap are additionally selling limited-edition Pride-themed merchandise, and the latter two are going so far as to donate portions of the proceeds to the Human Rights Campaign and the UN’s Free and Equal campaign, respectively.
Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends, made a show of its support by participating in the LA Pride Parade and sharing messages on social media.
“Pride means acceptance for not only who you want to be, but who you are and the journey to get there.” We are proud to support Rioters on that journey, wherever the destination may be. pic.twitter.com/sHVGMoLlQF
Spotify, not to be outdone, has added a rainbow easter egg to its desktop app. When users turn their volume up to maximum, the volume bar turns rainbow colors and displays various volume-themed messages, such as “Loud and Proud” and “Live At Full Volume.”
Duolingo has opted to highlight its inclusivity efforts, posting pictures of some of its language exercises that acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ+ people on Twitter.
On June 23, Intel launched 300 drones above its Folsom, California campus in an elaborate Pride-themed light show. The drones formed pictures to illustrate Intel’s support of the community including a rainbow flag, same-sex symbols and a unicorn.
This week in social media news, Pinterest streamlines desktop saves, Instagram adds Music stickers, Instant Articles show promise, Verizon shutters Go90, Facebook patents get creepy and Americans believe social networks are politically biased.
In other news, Facebook fosters conversations around Stories, Instagram slims down for Mexico, Instagram releases an IGTV handbook, LinkedIn adds QR codes, Facebook lets you see which ads are running, a study reveals potentially deceptive privacy practices and Twitter vows ad transparency.
Also, Instagram debuts video chat, Google imitates Pinterest, Facebook loosens the reigns on cryptocurrency ads and helps fight spoilers. Twitter pledges to fight spam and abuse, Canadian news on Facebook gets a fact-checker, Facebook launches a business magazine and confirms time management tools, Snapchat catches up to the revenue share model and YouTube boasts new features to keep its high earners motivated.
Pinterest Adds One-Click Desktop Saving
What used to take three clicks has been reduced to one with Pinterest’s latest desktop site update. Hovering over a Pin will overlay a drop-down menu of a user’s boards and try to predict which one the user will want to save it to. After selecting a board and “Save,” the process is technically two clicks if Pinterest doesn’t predict correctly, but it’s still more streamlined than the old process, which takes the user to a new screen.
Music Stickers Add Soundtrack To Instagram Stories
Instagram continues its integration with music with a new feature added to Stories on Thursday. Users can now add music to their Stories from a curated list and place the sticker wherever they want so that a section of the song plays at the desired time. Instagram users on iOS can also select a song before recording, allowing for lip sync videos, a dramatic soundtrack to the action, etc.
In March, parent company Facebook announced deals with several record labels including Warner Music Group. In May, Instagram added integration with Spotify so that users can share songs directly into their feeds.
Facebook Touts Early ‘Instant Article’ Subscription Response
Publishers like The Washington Post have partnered with Facebook to test a feature that allows users access to a certain amount of articles before presenting a subscription paywall. Publishers control the number of free articles a user can view before subscribing, as well as the cost to do so.
Facebook says the Instant Article test has so far yielded “promising results,” claiming that people in the test group were 17 percent more likely to subscribe to the publications directly from Facebook than from standard web links.
Instant Articles will roll out to Latin America in the coming weeks and eventually become available to publishers worldwide.
Do Social Networks Censor Political Views? Most Americans Say ‘Yes’
Pew Research has released a study on Thursday that asked respondents whether social media sites like Facebook and Twitter censor political views. Respondents from Democratic and Republican voters agreed, although at different levels, that social media sites do, in fact, censor opposing viewpoints to their own—72 percent agreed with this statement.
Republicans and those who lean Republican tend to distrust large entities with a disproportionate amount of control, so it’s not surprising that 85 percent in this group thought that the platforms intentionally censored political viewpoints. To be fair, both former and current employees have admitted such practices in favor of liberal news before new policies were enacted.
Even Democrats and those who lean Democrat agreed, with 62 percent believing that certain political views are being deliberately hidden or removed. There is a lack of overall trust for big tech companies, with only 28 percent of all 4,600 Americans surveyed believing they would do what is right most or all of the time.
Say Goodbye To Verizon’s Go90 App
Following the acquisition of Oath, Verizon is discontinuing its Go90 app, a multimedia platform available to anyone that launched in 2015. According to Verizon, the problem with Go90 was its inability to achieve scaled distribution.
“Verizon will focus on building its digital-first brands at scale in sports, finance, news and entertainment for today’s mobile consumers and tomorrow’s 5G applications,” a Verizon spokesperson said in a statement.
The app will officially be discontinued on July 31.
Facebook Wants To Listen To Your TV And Read Your Emotions
Several patents have been filed by Facebook over the years that range from tracking your daily routine to predicting life changes and observing your TV viewing habits. Facebook claims these ideas are meant to anticipate future technology, but they all mirror the company’s present-day habit of monitoring and collecting user data to sell.
One such patent reported by The New York Times would use hidden signals embedded in a TV program to turn on and record microphones in a user’s environment. Another, reported by Mashable, would read a user’s facial expression and pick an appropriate “selfie mask” to overlay in augmented reality.
“Most of the technology outlined in these patents has not been included in any of our products, and never will be,” Allen Lo, a Facebook vice president and deputy general counsel, and the company’s head of intellectual property told The New York Times.
Business will often filed patents simply to be the first to do so, but in light of Facebook’s public scrutiny, the timing of these reports isn’t a fortutious one.
Facebook Stories Adds Group Chat And Reactions
Facebook users can now respond to Stories with digital stickers and emoji “reactions” such as “like,” “love” and “sad.” Users can also reply to a Story and add other people to that reply, creating a group chat thread in Facebook Messenger. Messenger replies can be checked without leaving the Story, as well.
Facebook’s attempt to copy and paste the success of Snapchat’s Stories feature hasn’t resulted in the massive user adoption it hoped for. As of May, the company reported 150 million Facebook Stories DAU, compared to 300 million DAU on Instagram Stories. By comparison, Snapchat—which first popularized the disappearing message format—reported just 191 million DAU in the first quarter of 2018.
Instagram Lite App Rolls Out In Mexico
In an attempt to reach emerging markets, Instagram has quietly launched a streamlined version of its Android app in Mexico on Wednesday. Instagram Lite takes up just 573 Kilobytes of storage space, compared to the regular 30 Megabytes.
Despite its smaller size, Instagram Lite supports many of the same features as the regular Instagram app, including Stories, filters, Instagram Feed and the Explore tab. According to the app listing in Google Play, messaging functionality will be added soon. The app does not include access to Instagram’s new IGTV.
IGTV Handbook Outlines Best Practices For Creators
Fresh off its IGTV announcement, Instagram has released a handbook that provides tips, guidelines and accessories to help creators produce the best videos they can for the platform. Since IGTV is a vertical video format, the handbook provides step-by-step instructions for framing the shot, lighting, video quality and editing.
“This an exciting opportunity for you to get closer to your fans, explore your creativity, grow your audience and build your brand,” says the handbook.
LinkedIn QR Codes Speed Up On-The-Go Connections
Imagine you’re at a conference or business meeting and you want to connect with a professional on LinkedIn. Rather than manually search for that contact later based on their business card, LinkedIn has added a QR code feature that instantly pulls up someone’s profile. This QR code can be printed and added to brochures, business cards, event lanyards, etc. or added to an email signature.
Users can scan someone’s QR code with the LinkedIn app on both iOS and Android, after which they will be taken to that person’s profile. Users can access their own QR codes through the iOS app, with the feature coming to Android soon, per LinkedIn. The code can be shared online through iMessage, email and other apps.
Google And Facebook Are Deceptive By Design, Study Says
We all know that Google and Facebook—the largest ad sellers in the world—collect data, but are their products designed to trick users into surrendering privacy? “Deceptive by Design,” by watchdog group The Norwegian Consumer Council Biased says “yes.” Despite GDPR compliance, privacy settings are difficult to navigate and use scare tactics to trick users into agreeing to share data, the group concludes.
Privacy options are disabled by default, the study found, and users are given warnings about turning data sharing off, such as not being able to mute ads or find out if someone is being impersonated on Facebook. Facebook will even add a fake red dot behind the privacy settings pop-up, making users believe they have a notification waiting for them, even if it’s not true. This adds a sense of urgency so that users will breeze through the four option selection process Facebook prefers instead of navigating 13 steps to opt out.
Twitter Introduces Ad Transparency Center
Internet users who want to learn more about an ad served on Twitter can now visit the site’s Ad Transparency Center. Anyone, even non-Twitter users, can search for the advertiser’s handle to view all ad campaigns that have run within the last seven days with that identity.
For political ads, users will be able to view the advertiser’s billing information, ad spend and impression data per Tweet as well as demographic targeting data for the ads being served. Foreign nationals are banned from purchasing political ads on Twitter. The Ads Transparency Center will include all advertisers on Twitter globally, but only US federal election campaigning ads that fall under the company’s new policy will be shown at this stage.
“We are doing our due diligence to get this right and will have more updates to come,” wrote Bruce Falk, Twitter’s general manager of revenue product and engineering. “We stay committed to iterating and improving our work in this space, and doing what’s right for our community.”
Users Can Now View All Active Ads On Facebook And Affiliates
During a press event on Thursday, Facebook said it will allow users to view all active ads on a Facebook page that are running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and partner networks. The ads will be visible through “Info and Ads,” a new section in Pages. Users will be able to see them all and flag those seemed inappropriate, even if the ads were not targeted to them personally.
“We believe really deeply in transparency because we believe it leads to changes in behavior,” COO Sheryl Sandberg said. “It will hold us accountable. It will hold advertisers accountable.”
Instagram Launches Video Chat And Topic Channels
Instagram users can now video chat with up to four friends at a time from their direct inbox. During the conversation, users can minimize the video window to continue browsing and posting in the app as usual. New settings allow control over who can initiate a video chat to prevent unwanted notifications.
New Topic Channels sort channels by both topic and hashtag, allowing users to personalize their recommendations as well as discover new accounts to follow. Users can mute topics, as well, if they’re not interested and unmute them at any time to add them back to the mix.
Instagram has also partnered with Ariana Grande, Buzzfeed, Liza Koshy, Baby Ariel and NBA to offer custom camera effects. The new effects are available immediately if the user is already a follower, or they can “try them on” before committing to a channel. Instagram says that new camera effects are coming soon.
Google Tests Pinterest-Like Image Search Results
As Pinterest’s Eric Edge said, personalization is at the very core of social, and a number of platforms have taken that to heart with new features this week. Google has begun testing a new look on desktop that arranges image search results vertically instead of horizontally and adding short captions. The results appear more like Pinterest and allow users to click on them for more information. When a user clicks on the desired image, related images are displayed underneath along with seller information, if applicable.
Pinterest continues to inspire the way Google handles discovery. Last year, a dynamic information feature was added to mobile searches and Google Goggles will pull up information about an object or place based on a photo.
Facebook Users Can Now ‘Snooze’ Certain Keywords
Online users who want to avoid spoilers to their favorite TV show, the latest movie or even topics they’re tired of seeing can now “snooze” them in the News Feed. Snoozing a keyword will keep posts containing it from appearing in a user’s newsfeed for 30 days.
“We hope that with additional options to help tailor your News Feed experience, you’ll be able to spend more time focusing on the things that matter,” said Facebook.
Google Unveils New Advertising Marketplace
On July 10, Google will officially unveil three main pillars as part of its new consolidated ad offerings—Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform and Google Ad Manager. The rebranding means that DoubleClick and AdWords will no longer be separate entities. Google said that these new offerings will focus primarily on consumer privacy.
“This is just the beginning of the next chapter in our platforms story, said Google. “We’re committed to building solutions that help you achieve your marketing goals while meeting consumers’ high expectations for privacy, transparency and control.”
Facebook Adds Exception For Cryptocurrency Ads
Zuckerberg’s social media giant is reportedly working on its own cryptocurrency to be traded between users. This might be why Facebook has partially rolled back its ban on certain cryptocurrency ads. Beginning Wednesday, Facebook updated it policy to allow ads that promote cryptocurrency and related content from pre-approved advertisers. The site will continue to prohibit ads that promote binary options and initial coin offerings.
Facebook, as with Google, banned cryptocurrency ads on its platform due to a large amount of fraud surrounding the new technology. Some advertisers have gotten around these policies by purposely misspelling titles like “Bitc0in,” but Facebook hopes to reign in this activity so that only verified advertisers are allowed. Those who want to post such ads must fill out an application, along with licenses, whether they are traded on a public stock exchange, etc.
Agence France-Press (AFP) Will Fact-Check Canadian News On Facebook
Facebook has partnered Agence France-Presse (AFP) to evaluate news stories in Canada for accuracy. The partnership will run evaluate news stories in Canada in both English and French, defining them as being true, false or offering inaccurate or misleading information. Launched this week, the third-party fact checking will run at least until after the next federal election in October 2019, while covering news on upcoming votes in Quebec, New Brunswick and Alberta.
Twitter Enacts New Spam And Abuse Policies
It’s no secret that any public forum online where you can remain anonymous and hide behind a computer screen is a breeding ground for hateful speech and trolls. Twitter has been called out a number of times for either not enforcing its anti-abuse policies or banning accounts based on political bias. On Tuesday, Twitter announced new initiatives to reign in this behavior and “improve the health” of conversations on its platform.
Twitter can now make an account “read only” if it is suspected of being spam or intentionally abusive. Freezing the account will still allow users to view posts, but they are not able to engage with or follow. Later this year, new Twitter account sign-ups will be required to confirm either an email address or phone number to verify identity. in the meantime, existing accounts that appear “spammy” will be audited for signs of automated sign-up activity.
“But we know there’s still a lot of work to be done,” writes Twitter. “Inauthentic accounts, spam, and malicious automation disrupt everyone’s experience on Twitter, and we will never be done with our efforts to identify and prevent attempts to manipulate conversations on our platform.”
Facebook Grounds Internet-beaming Drone Idea
Beaming internet to those without access is a novel idea but proved harder than companies initially thought. Last year, Google shuttered its Titan program last year and now Facebook is re-thinking its approach. The company successfully flew two successful test flights but has decided to hand off this area to the aerospace industry. Facebook has decided not to design or build its own aircrafts and close the facility in Bridgewater.
Facebook isn’t abandoning the idea altogether. It will continue to work with partners like Airbus on HAPS connectivity and other technologies like flight control computers and high-density batteries. The company will also push for policies to get more spectrum for HAPS and participating in a number of aviation advisory boards and rule-making committees in the US and internationally.
Facebook Releases Business Magazine, ‘Grow’
One of the largest digital platforms in the world is turning to print with Grow, a “thought leadership platform that shines a light on people, companies and trends challenging the status quo.” Facebook calls Grow a marketing program that includes print, digital and events in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Sweden. A new partnership with Founders Forum and Vanity Fair launches later this year. The print version is available only in the UK and northern Europe.
The first issue seems to cater to businesses that want to reach finicky millennials, with stories like “The Millennial Whisperer,” featuring Oscar Olsson, the tattooed, bearded creative director of H&M’s new fashion label. Other topics in this issue include making legacy alcohol brands artisanal, selling natural products and subscription boxes, among others. Grow was designed to keep businesses ahead of the curve, said Facebook.
Instagram And Facebook Develop Time Management Tools
Spending a lot of time on social media? Facebook has developed tools called “Your Time on Facebook” and “Your Time on Instagram” that would tell users how long they spend on each platform. The unreleased feature was discovered inside the apps’ code and confirmed by TechCrunch. Users will have the option to be locked out of the app after a predetermined amount of time.
“Understanding how time online impacts people is important, and it’s the responsibility of all companies to be honest about this,” Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom told TechCrunch. “We want to be part of the solution. I take that responsibility seriously.”
Snapchat Tests Revenue Sharing With Creators
Social media creators may soon be able to earn ad revenue from their posts on Snapchat, the company announced. During its VidCon keynote on Thursday, Snapchat said that it has begun testing a revenue share model. Although the company would not reveal additional details, Snap’s head of talent partnerships Lauren Gallo said that her main focuses for the creator community are growth, discoverability, analytics and monetization.
After telling creators for years that “Snapchat is for friends, not creators,” the social network has taken a new, hands-on approach to foster talent and by extension, revenue. As early as last summer, the company began inviting its most popular creators to visit its headquarters to talk strategy and give them free stuff. Last month, Snap, Inc. hosted its first Creators Summit and soon after announced Yellow, an incubator program for mobile content creators.
The monetization model is also in sync with Snap’s new publisher model, removing licensing fees in favor of revenue sharing.
YouTube Adds New Revenue Tools For Top Creators
Also during VidCon, YouTube boasted how much money its top earners are making from the platform. The number of creators earning five figures a year has increased 35 percent, YouTube claims, and the number of creators earning six figures is up by 40 percent. Aside from ad revenue share, YouTube is adding new features to help creators earn more revenue from their audiences.
One new feature is called Premieres, which turns new videos into a live event. The feature will allow creators to build hype around new content by automatically creating a public landing page. At the scheduled date and time, subscribers will be able to watch the pre-recorded video live while chatting with the creator and other fans. Super Chat (paying to have chat comments highlighted) and Channel Memberships are now available on traditional YouTube uploads, including Premieres.
Creators can now sell merchandise directly from their YouTube channels through a partnership with TeeSpring, with other partners to be added in the future. This will be available to all eligible US-based channels with over 10,000 subscribers.
Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, June 29. 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.
Bud Light is betting big that Mexico can beat Brazil in Monday’s World Cup match by offering to help pay for celebratory beers in California. The announcement came in early June, and the company has been reiterating its commitment and support on Twitter as El Tri progressed through the tournament, particularly after South Korea’s surprise victory against Germany on Wednesday, which allowed Mexico to advance to the Round of 16.
Mexico has not been able to advance past the Round of 16 in the tournament since 1994, and Mexican soccer fans have dubbed the defeat “curse of the fifth.” Bud Light hasn’t released the full details of the deal yet for fear of “jinxing” El Tri, but Californian fans can expect to learn more about receiving a celebratory beer after the match against the Seleção.
According to a statement, the state of California was selected for this giveaway because, “California is awesome and we know that El Tri has a huge fan base there. In fact, during the last World Cup, Californians issued twice as many social posts about Team Mexico than any other state.”
This isn’t the first time Bud Light has given away free beers to dedicated sports fans, but it’s certainly the biggest giveaway of its kind to date. Earlier this year, the company’s fictional “Dilly Dilly” king offered a similar deal to the City of Philadelphia, where fans would receive a free beer if the Eagles won the Super Bowl. The company handed out free bottles of Bud Light at the Eagles victory parade.
This week, Disney makes multiple promotions as part of its executive restructuring efforts.
Disney Names President Of New SVOD Service; President Of Marketing
Multiple executive shifts occurred at Walt Disney as the company moves forward with its executive reorganization plans. Ricky Strauss has been promoted to president of content and marketing for the upcoming Disney SVOD service. At the same time, his previous position has been filled by Asad Ayaz, who was named to president of marketing. Strauss joined Disney in 2012 and led marketing on the theatrical side, managing campaigns for both live-action and animated movies including ones from the Star Wars and Marvel franchises. Meanwhile, 14-year studio veteran Ayaz has long been credited as being a strong part of Strauss’s marketing team.
“We’re so thankful for Ricky’s leadership, and when it came to pass the torch, it was clear there is no one more equipped or deserving to take the reins of our marketing organization than Asad Ayaz, who has been a key driving in evolving our marketing strategy and mobilization,” said Walt Disney Studios president Alan Bergman.
Disney’s SVOD service is expected to launch in 2019.
MTV, VH1 Upgrades CMO
Jacqueline Parkes has been promoted to the expanded role of chief marketing officer and EVP of digital studios for MTV, VH1 and Logo. In this dual role, Parkes will oversee marketing and creative for the group while overseeing digital and social media content for the brands, building on a combined social reach of over 300 million followers worldwide. Parkes joined MTV in 2016 and most recently served as CMO for MTV, VH1 and Logo.
“Over the course of her amazing career, Jacqueline has demonstrated a passion for reinvention and innovation that has also been a hallmark of our brands,” said MTV, VH1 and Logo president Chris McCarthy in a memo to staff. “I’m thrilled that Jacqueline is taking on a bigger role in our organization and will apply her intuitive ability to connect with audiences to our fast-growing digital portfolio.”
Salvatore Ferragamo Ups Its Look With New CMO
Italian luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo has appointed former fashion magazine journalist Riccardo Vannetti as its new chief marketing officer as the group continues with its reorganization plans to appeal to younger consumers. Vannetti replaces Eraldo Poletto, who left the company in March, and he joins Salvatore Ferragamo days after its head of marketing and communications, Antonio Burrello, announced his departure.
Liongate Names Worldwide Head Of Marketing
Lionsgate has named Damon Wolf as the worldwide head of marketing for its motion pictures group. Wolf is currently an EVP of marketing at TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, and will remain with Sony to the end of year. He replaces Tim Palen, who will continue to serve as the company’s chief brand officer, and the shifts are part of a larger restructuring effort that has been in motion since Joe Drake took the lead as motion picture chairman last winter.
On The Border Promotes Senior VP of Marketing
Casual dining restaurant On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina has announced the promotion of Rebecca Miller to senior vice president of marketing. In her new role, Miller will oversee all marketing initiatives in addition to Culinary Innovation, Guest Relations and Catering. Before joining On the Border two years ago, Miller held marketing and brand management leadership positions with Pizza Hut, Inc.
“Rebecca brings a powerful combination of brand building skills and business acumen to On The Border,” On The Border president and CEO Matt Hood said in a statement. “Rebecca’s work-ethic, teamwork and consumer-centric focus have helped make On The Border a stronger company and we are looking forward to the impact her leadership will continue to make on her team and the brand.”
Bacardi Global VP Moves To Holland & Barrett
Caroline Hipperson has been hired by UK-based health food retailer Holland & Barrett as its new global chief marketing officer.
“At Holland & Barrett, we really care about helping people live a healthy and happy life and treading light on the earth while doing so,” said Hipperson in a statement.
Hearst Magazines President Steps Down
David Carey, the president of Hearst Magazines, announced that he will step down from the role at the end of 2018, ending an eight-year career as the division’s head. Carey will continue to serve as chairman of the division through 2019 to help search for his successor in addition to joining the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative—a year-long program that is “designed to prepare experienced leaders to take on new challenges in the social sector where they potentially can make an even greater societal impact than they did in their careers.”
“The magazine business worldwide, like all print media, faces change and challenge, but it’s an industry we’ve led for more than 100 years and we will continue to do so,” wrote Hearst Corp. CEO Steven Swartz in the memo announcing the departure to staffers. “Under David, we have become a preeminent global digital publishing company while continuing to launch innovative print editions.”
New CMO Joins The Minnesota Timberwolves And Lynx
Mike Grahl has become the latest addition to The Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx basketball franchises, serving as its new chief marketing officer. In this role he will “oversee all aspects of marketing including branding, advertising, live programming and entertainment, creative services, events, merchandising, websites, email, mobile, digital content and video production.”
Prior to the appointment, Grahl served as the chief digital officer for the Milwaukee Bucks, where his team helped enhance the digital fan experience while growing the digital team revenue by 110 percent over the past three years, according to a press release.
“Mike is one of the most respected digital minds in our industry,” Timberwolves and Lynx CEO Ethan Casson said in a statement. “His achievements throughout his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks is impressive and we look forward to him bringing his talents and vision to our organization.”
Hulu Picks Up Head Of Advertising Platforms
Hulu has hired Jeremy Helfand to serve as its new VP and head of advertising platforms. Helfand is tasked with leading the company’s ad strategy, ad product innovation, tech investments and partnerships in addition to Hulu’s advertising organization’s engineering operations. He will also team up with Hulu’s ad sales organization, led by SVP and head of advertising sales Peter Naylor.
Prior to joining Hulu, Helfand was VP of Adobe’s primetime business unit and its media and entertainment vertical, where he helped launch its multi-screen OTT platform.
Omnivore Grows Executive Team With CMO Hire
Restaurant technology company Omnivore has named Shane Wheatland as its chief marketing officer. Before joining Omnivore, Wheatland spent more than 20 years serving in leadership roles at Coca-Cola. His experience with leveraging consumer behavior will serve as a center point for Omnivore as it continues to build value for its clients.
“I have been fortunate to work closely with many of the restaurant industry’s finest leaders, and jointly build strategies to drive new trial, frequency and value,” said Wheatland in a statement. “There are certainly many growth opportunities, but I can’t think of a more important one in our industry right now than accelerating the digital experience for guests, staff and support centers.”
CNO Financial Promotes Dana Allen To VP Role
Dana Allen has been promoted to vice president of product marketing at CNO Financial. Allen joined CNO in 2008 and served as the senior director of executive projects since May 2016. She will now be responsible for marketing intelligence, new product development, product marketing, implementation and support in her new role, in addition to negotiating, establishing and executing strategic partnership agreements.
“Dana has been a strong member of the CNO team for the last decade,” Gerardo Monroy, chief marketing officer of CNO Financial, said in a statement. “Her extensive business experience and deep industry knowledge will be instrumental in accelerating our ability to pursue new products opportunities to drive sales growth. I am confident that Dana will continue to help us achieve exceptional results.”
Editor’s Note:Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, June 29. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.
Independence Day is often celebrated with fireworks, barbecues and parties with friends and family, but this year, July 4th falls on Wednesday—right in the middle of the work week. Calling the poor timing of this national holiday “Un-American,” Smirnoff Ice is offering to pay for 100 people to take a few extra days off in a contest that marks both 242 years of independence and the limited-time return of its “patriotic” Red, White & Berry flavor.
Using the tagline, “Dear America, Tell Your Boss You’re Taking A 4th Of July 5 Day Weekend,” Smirnoff Ice will pay for people to take July 5th and 6th off, which comes out to $500 per person, regardless of what their daily income is and whether or not they actually go on vacation. All contestants have to do is comment on the related posts on the @SmirnoffUS Facebook and Instagram pages, describing how they’d celebrate a five-day weekend, to be entered into a random drawing.
Part of the joke is that Smirnoff brand was founded in Moscow and owned by UK beverage giant Diageo, but its US products are all made locally. Smirnoff has poked fun at this fact before, and given how the contest has drawn over 2,500 comments on Facebook and more than 10,000 views on Instagram, consumers appear to accept Smirnoff Ice as an American-made beverage.
“Smirnoff Ice is a brand that encourages people to have fun, so when we heard that the Fourth of July was on a Wednesday this year, we knew that is so not fun and may prevent many hard-working Americans from celebrating. We had to do something about it,” Smirnoff Ice brand director Krista Kiisk told AListDaily. “That’s why we’re giving 100 Americans the chance to extend their holiday to a five-day weekend by paying them to take July 5th and 6th off and celebrate with friends and family.”
To get the word out, Kiisk said that Smirnoff Ice took out a full-page print ad in Sunday’s New York Times in addition to its social campaigns and running homepage takeovers of the New York Times mobile and People.com this week. The beverage brand is also working with influencers to spread the word about the contest.
“Our goal is to ensure as many people as possible know about this opportunity and enter for the chance to be paid by Smirnoff Ice to take July 5th and 6th off to celebrate all things [America] the way she was meant to be celebrated,” said Kiisk,
Kiisk goes on to describe the extended vacation contest as a “perfect fit” for the brand’s emphasis on having fun and being made in America. “After all, what holiday is more fun and American than the [Fourth] of July?” she concludes.
The contest ends on July 1 when the company picks 100 winners. Smirnoff’s parent company Diageo also owns alcoholic beverage brands Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan, Guinness and others.
