Social | Page 55 of 182

SocialRank’s New Tool Gives Brands Intel On Competitors

August 5, 2015, 12:00AM

SocialRank is a New York based start-up that enables users to analyze Twitter and Instagram followers for certain statistics – and with the help of a new tool that’s debuting today, companies may be able to get better use out of it when it comes to bolstering its audience.

Per a report from BuzzFeed, SocialRank Market Intelligence makes its public debut today, enabling the services that the company has already become known for, including organizing Twitter followers and providing control over sorting and filtering them via location, interests, engagement and influence. With this tool, however, Market Intelligence can be used for viewership on public Twitter accounts, including brands like Coca-Cola and eBay.

SocialRank CEO Alex Taub explained, “If you’re Nike, you can run Puma. If you’re Airbnb, you can run Hilton and Marriott. It feels a little like you have access that you shouldn’t have.” In addition, Market Intelligence is also being tested on Instagram, currently being beta tested by a handful of social media celebrities.

The service works as a self-serve product that brands can use without needing to speak to the corporate higher-ups. Its current charge is $150 per month per “handle,” although nonprofits and start-ups will be eligible for discounts.

With the service, companies are able to find the “real humans” on Twitter (instead of spambots) and reach out to them with “surprise and delight” campaigns. Companies such as GoPro and Spotify have already been using this service to that extent.

Market Intelligence will enable companies to spend “as much time, if not more time” examining their followers, thus marking a change in resources.

As to why the likes of Twitter and Instagram doesn’t launch its own services, Taub noted that they’re more concentrated on making services better for consumers, rather than examining them. Twitter is selling “more followers, more reach, more engagement,” said Taub. “They don’t really care that much about your existing followers.

“To be honest, if (Twitter) added that stuff, it would just make our lives easier. Twitter is not going to let you run someone else’s account in the granular way that we do.”

Taub also expects to launch this service for Facebook and Pinterest somewhere down the road. How effective it will be remains to be seen…but there are a few brands that are very likely to be interested.

More details can be found on SocialRank’s official blog page.

Instagram’s API Rollout ‘Breaks Down the Barrier to Entry For All Brands’

BY Lauren Arevalo-Downes

August 4, 2015, 12:00AM

It’s finally happened. Instagram has officially rolled out its advertising API, making it in leagues with platforms like Facebook and Twitter in terms of its accessibility to marketers. The move has spurred Brand Networks’ CEO Jamie Tedford to say that today is “one of the most anticipated moments in the evolution of advertising.” While that may be a little hyperbolic, there’s a lot to be excited for.

“Instagram’s announcement is huge for their future and monetizing the platform. This will open the platform up to all of the advertisers that have been clamoring to take advantage of this without the large minimum spend requirements,” says Ayzenberg‘s SVP of social and digital media, Rebecca Markarian. “The immediate revenue growth for Instagram will be massive and probably quickly accelerate to the top of the social advertising networks.”

A recent report from eMarketer showed Instagram’s revenue potential from display ads could bring a projected $2.81 billion in profit by 2017, taking 10.6 percent of Facebook’s total ad revenue in that year. With all of this increased interest in Instagram’s display ad capabilities, you may be wondering what exactly the API will allow marketers to do.

“The biggest thing the API rollout brings is accessibility,” says Markarian. No longer will marketers be forced to work with Instagram directly for their digital ad purchases. “Previously it was only an elite few brands that could get in to advertise on Instagram. The past few months that has definitely opened up but this really breaks down the barrier to entry for all brands.”

“Instagram is where our clients see the most engagement already so being able to create ads targeting those groups is the natural next step in our social content strategy and they’ve been wanting this for quite some time.”

While the API will make a huge difference for marketers, there is some trepidation about what this could mean for the user experience.

“The introduction of a lot more advertising, especially ads that seem out of place in the Instagram environment, could irritate users and lead to usage declines,” said Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst at eMarketer to Digiday.

Markarian hopes that Instagram will have learned from Facebook’s growing pains to prevent this from happening.

“I do hope they are selective with the amount and quality of ads that fill the news feed. It took Facebook some time to right size that and the Instagram crowd will be sensitive to it. If the content in the ads is good and relevant to the user and they don’t clog the feed too much then everyone should happily accept the change.”

Can’t Buy a Pip-Boy? Print Out Your Own

BY Robert Workman

August 3, 2015, 12:00AM

Back at the Electronic Entertainment Expo a couple of months ago, Bethesda announced its forthcoming blockbuster action/exploration game Fallout 4, set to release on November 10th. With it, it also unveiled a special Pip-Boy collector’s edition coming out with the game, enabling players to create a special wearable device similar to players in the game, turning their smartphone into an interactive game tool.

As expected, pre-orders for this edition of the game sold out quickly. But for those bummed out over not being able to own a real-life version of the Pip-Boy, not to worry — it can now be printed out.

PC World recently posted an article about a Netherlands-based developer named Yvo de Haas who has managed to create a 3D model of Bethesda’s Pip-Boy device, which can be worn just like characters in the game. And, better yet, he’s managed to make the STL files available, so anyone with access to a 3D printer can download the schematics and create one for themselves.

The picture above shows Bethesda’s official model, which will be included in the special edition of the game. As you can see from the photo above, de Haas’ model is pretty accurate, and still comfortably fits both a consumer’s arm and smartphone to create a similar experience.

There are two versions of plans for the device that are available for download, including a phone version (which fits most mobile devices) and the “accurate version,” which is built for the “serious tinkerer” who wants to utilize a much bigger device with the Pip-Boy, such as a Raspberry Pi. “It is as accurate as I can make it, with no sacrifice to fit anything in,” said de Haas in a blog post that explains more about the project.

So those customers that were left out in the cold finding a Pip-Boy edition of Fallout 4, consider your bases covered. The video below shows just how accurate the device is after it’s printed.

Meanwhile, Fallout 4, which should be one of this holiday season’s biggest gaming hits, arrives on November 10th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The full E3 showcase for the game is below, complete with gameplay.

Adult Swim Creates Spacious Rickstaverse With Instagram

BY Robert Workman

July 31, 2015, 12:00AM

YouTube. Facebook. Snapchat. Vine. Meerkat. Periscope. Twitch. Has your brand mastered them all Get the insights and knowledge you need to succeed at [a]list Video Summit Aug. 19. Get tix: http://alist.ly/1EVLyyz

Instagram has been used many times before by advertisers, promoting videos and photos that they felt would be essential to the millions of users that visit the site daily. But Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim line wanted to go a little further than that, creating a Rick & Morty based universe for fans to explore.

Launched just in time for the second season of the humorous science fiction-adventure series, Adult Swim’s Instagram campaign, titled The Rickstaverse, enables users to click on photos of planets and find little factoids about the series, as well as some weird scenarios, such as high-fiving a naked man wearing a Santa hat, floating in space.

There are rules to follow, as dictated by this special instructions page. “What’s taking so long with Season 2 ” it reads. “Turns out we lost the tapes. Well, lost as in Rick left them in a bar after chugging a bottle of Plutonian Tequila. While we start from scratch, help Rick and his pal Morty traverse the universe to find the five bootleggers responsible. Follow their accounts and maybe they’ll send you exclusive Season 2 clips, since we sure-as-hell can’t.”

So users will explore each of the photos in the hopes of finding these items and unlocking exclusive clips from the show as a result. It’s a neat idea, and one with plenty of comedy for fans. One photo of a greenish planet reads: “That’s the Fantasy Planet Morty dragged me to. Still has that sweet pre-industrial Revolution smell. Tap-to-scan if that’s your thing.”

A couple of samples from the Instagram album are below, to give you an idea of not only what kind of planets are worth exploring, but also feedback from fans, which is mostly on the positive side.

The full album can be found here. Rick & Morty airs on Sunday nights on Adult Swim. The trailer for the series is below.

10 Reasons To Attend [a]list Mobile + Social Video Summit On Aug. 19

BY Lauren Arevalo-Downes

July 28, 2015, 12:00AM

What Is Facebook’s Answer To YouTube

YouTube ruled the proceedings at VidCon this year, but YouTube’s biggest rival in terms of online video scale and ad revenue, Facebook, will instead be keynoting the [a]list summit to talk about Facebook and Instagram as marketing platforms and what you need to succeed in mobile and social video.

How YouTube’s Biggest Break-Out Star Is Building An Empire

Michelle Phan became a household name as one of YouTube’s biggest stars, but the talented beauty expert has been able to build a business empire, too. She’ll be doing a keynote interview together with her CEO and co-founder of ipsy Marcelo Camberos. Centered around the award-winning monthly Glam Bag, ipsy now boasts over 1 million subscribers and generates more than $150 million in revenue.

Big Opportunities, Big Value

With a massive supply of influencers, and only a few marketers using influencer marketing to their advantage, the cost of an influencer campaign is below its real value.

On average, marketers are seeing $6.50 for every $1 spent. For those who have used influencer marketing most effectively, the top 13 percent of marketers are gaining $20 per $1 spent.

Brands Are Going All-In On Social

With 70 percent of brands planning to increase their social advertising budget, and 59 percent making increases specific to influencer marketing, it’s clear brands are going all-in. At [a]list Video summit, attendees can learn how to find those influencers that best align with your brand to create content that is more organic and engaging.

What Is The Future of AR and VR for Entertainment

AR and VR is a hot topic that will be front-and-center when this year’s holiday campaigns kick off from companies like Microsoft, Samsung and Apple. We have a keynote conversation with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville who has been working with Ayzenberg on a documentary series on Microsoft HoloLens, which may be screened now at HoloLens.com and on the HoloLens YouTube channel.

The Content Shift Has Already Happened

This year, we’ve seen the world’s top 100 brands increase their monthly video views on YouTube by 55 percent and Facebook’s share of video ad revenue grow by 20 percent. On top of that, eMarketer predicts that digital video advertising spending will finally eclipse TV by 2018.

What’s Next In Data-Driven Video Storytelling

New Form Digital is an exciting new online studio joint venture created by Discovery, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. SVP Cangilla will speak with Allison Stern, co-founder of Video Intelligence firm Tubular Labs, about the future of the data-driven digital studio and how to identify rising star storytellers, create engaging digital scripted content and successfully grow engaged digital audiences.

The Influencer Marketing Boom Is Showing No Signs Of Stopping

Google searches for “influencer marketing” are climbing higher and higher.

Video Is Capturing Attentions, Imagination

We’ve all heard of the stats around banner blindness, with only 14 percent of consumers able to remember the last display ad they saw. Consumers have been vocal about their preference for content as opposed to traditional advertising to learn about new products. With branded content, brand lift is 82 percent higher and purchase intent is up 53 percent.

85+ Brands Will Converge On The Future Of Mobile + Social Video

[a]list Mobile + Social Video summit will have 85+ brands in attendance, with many networking opportunities. There will be breakfast, lunch and a cocktail reception sponsored by our friends at Curse in the heart of Hollywood at the W Hotel.

Get Your Tickets Now!