Top Highlights from October 22-28!
Catch the Weekly Buzz with BAL! Discover the top social media news, creative highlights, and exciting collaborations.
Instagram has launched a special suite of Halloween-themed features to bring some seasonal fun to the platform. Users can enjoy eerie filters, themed stickers, and spooky sound effects to enhance their posts and stories. The update also includes Halloween-inspired backgrounds for Reels, allowing creators to fully embrace the Halloween spirit. With these features, Instagram aims to boost engagement and inspire creativity among users celebrating the season.
YouTube Shorts is introducing a new feature that allows creators to add poll stickers directly to their short videos, enabling real-time interaction with their audience. This update aims to help creators gather immediate feedback, boost engagement, and enhance the interactive experience on the platform. By incorporating poll stickers, YouTube Shorts is offering creators a new way to connect with viewers and gain valuable insights quickly.
Snapchat’s October update introduces a variety of new features, including advanced AR Lenses, fresh Bitmoji customization options, and upgraded tools for content creators. These additions let users further personalize their digital interactions and explore innovative ways to express themselves. Highlights include AR experiences that respond to real-world environments, enhanced video editing tools, and seasonal Bitmoji outfits. This update underscores Snapchat’s focus on creativity and interactive engagement, offering users exciting options for their online connections.
WhatsApp has introduced new features to make adding and managing contacts easier. Users can now quickly add new contacts directly from the app without switching between apps, improving the overall user experience. Additionally, contact details can be updated more efficiently, streamlining the process of staying connected. This update enhances convenience and simplifies communication for WhatsApp users around the world.
Canva has rolled out a major AI update, introducing its new text-to-image generator, ‘Leonardo’. This tool allows users to create images directly from text descriptions, making design more accessible and creative. With advanced AI capabilities, Leonardo enhances Canva’s platform by enabling users to generate unique visuals quickly, pushing the boundaries of design innovation and simplifying the creative process for both professionals and casual users.
Google Ads has introduced new features for Performance Max to help advertisers boost ROI during the holiday season. Performance Max leverages AI to identify high-ROI opportunities, delivering 17% higher ROAS compared to other AI-driven campaigns. The latest updates include asset experiments, enhanced video capabilities, and greater flexibility with Standard Shopping campaigns. Advertisers can now test new assets, use advanced image generation, and create multiple video formats. These updates come at a strategic time, providing essential AI-driven tools for adapting to fast-changing holiday demand and trends.
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CAMPAIGNS & COLLABS
IKEA has appointed 76-year-old “Grumpy Gran,” a popular TikTok personality, as the face of its new gaming furniture range. In a fun and unconventional move, IKEA aims to break stereotypes around gaming by featuring the feisty grandmother, who has gained a large following for her humorous and relatable content. The campaign highlights IKEA’s commitment to inclusivity, showing that gaming is for everyone, regardless of age. Through this partnership, IKEA hopes to appeal to a broader audience and make gaming more accessible with its stylish and functional furniture.
Tesco is bringing back nostalgic retro packaging for some of its most beloved products, celebrating its heritage while connecting with customers through a sense of familiarity. The limited-edition designs, inspired by Tesco’s classic look, aim to evoke fond memories and showcase the brand’s long-standing presence in the market. This campaign taps into the power of nostalgia, encouraging shoppers to engage with the brand in a fresh yet familiar way.
The World of WearableArt (WOW) event showcases the incredible fusion of fashion and art, bringing together designers from around the globe to create stunning, avant-garde wearable pieces. This unique competition pushes creative boundaries, turning clothing into artistic masterpieces and challenging the conventions of both industries. WOW has become a global celebration of creativity, offering a platform for artists and designers to explore new ways of merging fashion with art in breathtaking ways.
Fiverr’s new Broadway-style musical ad, “Nobody Cares,” delivers a clear message: while AI tools are useful, it’s the talent behind them that truly matters. Launched alongside Fiverr’s 2024 Generative AI Usage Report, the campaign highlights how businesses should focus on the people using AI to achieve results. The report reveals a 63% rise in AI usage among freelancers, with tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney leading the charge, but also notes ongoing skepticism around accuracy and quality, reinforcing the importance of human creativity in delivering success with AI.
Kleenex has introduced its new Easy Breathe tissues, designed to release menthol and eucalyptus scents when scrunched, providing relief for blocked noses during cold and flu season. FCB London’s campaign promotes this product innovation with striking visuals that dramatize the benefits of scrunching the tissue before use. The launch includes a nationwide OOH campaign and an experiential event at Westfield White City, where scent cannons will spread the menthol and eucalyptus aromas, allowing consumers to fully experience the product. The campaign encourages people to “Grab Kleenex” for effective, soothing relief.
Rivian’s Halloween update brings a nostalgic twist by introducing themed “costumes” for its vehicles, inspired by iconic shows like Knight Rider and Back to the Future. The update includes custom light displays and sound effects that transform the vehicles into the legendary KITT car and the DeLorean time machine, adding a fun and interactive experience for owners. This playful update reflects Rivian’s creativity and offers a unique way for users to celebrate Halloween with their vehicles.