Pulse, Pulse, baby.?It's Friday.??This week we're delivering a fresh batch of masterly marketing moments, Gen Z insights, metaverse musings, and more.??Circle back, take it online, and pick our brain.
--------------------------------------------------?
- TikTok Launches New Mental Health Support Resources for World Mental Health Day?-?Link: TikTok has?shared an overview of its evolving mental health support tools, along with new research into how people feel about mental health concerns, and the support options available to them.
- TikTok Adds New Photo Feature to Rival Instagram?-?Link: TikTok introduces Photo Mode, a new photo tool – that seemingly rivals Instagram – in addition to other enhanced editing features.
- TikTok chases Amazon with plans for U.S. fulfillment centers?-?Link: TikTok?is planning to build its own product fulfillment centers in the U.S., creating an e-commerce supply chain system that could directly challenge Amazon, as indicated by more than a dozen new job openings posted in the past two weeks to LinkedIn.
- Instagram’s Working On New ‘Achievement’ Badges to Incentivize Reels Creators?-?Link: Based on new?back-end findings?by app researcher?Alessandro Paluzzi?- Instagram is currently developing a new feature called ‘Achievements’ for Reels.
- Facebook Login Details at Risk as Meta Identifies Over 400 Malicious Apps?-?Link: Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has identified over 400 malicious Android and iOS apps that target people in order to steal their Facebook login information.
- Meta Announces 2022 Creator Week Event, Which Will Focus on Reels Creators?-?Link: Meta has announced the line-up for its second?Creator Week event, which will include a combination of IRL and online presentations, panels, displays and more, to be held in the first week of November this year.
- Twitter Launches New ‘Link Spotlight’ CTA Button for Professional Accounts?-?Link: Twitter has now?officially launched its new ‘Link Spotlight’ feature?for US-based Professional Accounts, which enables brands to add a URL, with a variable CTA button, to their profile in the app.
- Twitter Launches Updated Professional Account Analytics Tab?-?Link: Twitter has updated its Professional Accounts option with a?new analytics display, which provides an updated overview of your overall account performance.
- Snapchat Unveils AR-to-Purchase Activation for Halloween Costumes?-?Link: Snap’s partnering with?Disguise Costumes?to facilitate the AR-to-purchase process, with all of the available AR costume options listed on the?Disguise profile in the app.
?? Industry News & Highlights:
- TikTok Publishes New Marketing Playbook for Auto Dealers -?Link: TikTok has released a new?Auto Dealers Playbook, which provides key insights and notes for auto dealers looking to maximize their promotional efforts in the app.
- TikTok continues to be a brand marketer darling despite its geopolitical dramas?-?Link: Ad dollars continue to shift from other channels en-masse over to TikTok, regardless of its problems including geopolitical tensions, privacy issues, internal strains and worrisome content.
- Fender wants to tap into nostalgia, experiential as people are ‘drawn to the vintage look’?-?Link: Fender is tapping into its history and heritage, using nostalgia marketing and experiential to get the attention of its current consumer base as well as new musicians.
- Deja vu? McDonald’s adult Happy Meals raise specter of past promos run awry?-?Link?|?Link: McDonald’s new adult Happy Meals appear to be a hit — so much so that demand is weighing on employees in ways that bring to mind past promotions run awry.
- Chipotle’s ‘Boorito’ promo returns with BeReal, Cash App twist?-?Link: Chipotle Mexican Grill is bringing back its in-person “Boorito” tradition after two digital-only installments - with new BeReal and CashApp activations.
- Marketers ramp up promotions to curb expected holiday lows, survey says?-?Link: Nearly one-third (32%) of marketers plan to increase their promotional activity this holiday season compared to 13% that did so last year, reflecting hopes of recouping projected losses, per a?holiday benchmark survey?by CommerceNext and The Commerce Experience Collective.
- Vizzy serves up pickleball sponsorship as niche sport grows -?Link: Molson Coors brand Vizzy is the first-ever official hard seltzer of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) tour,?according to a press release.
- Nectar Hard Seltzer sets sights on TikTok, grocery shelves with ‘edgy’ organic content?-?Link: To promote the brand on TikTok, Nectar’s goal has been to create highly shareable TikTok videos that appeal to the platform’s audience. For example, its “Sale or Fail” video, in which Nectar recorded shoppers in grocery stores trying out the seltzer brand, has been viewed 3.1 million times.
- Fireball taps into streaming, Instagram to reach Gen Z of drinking age?-?Link: To drive reach and awareness with Gen Z, spirits brand Fireball last month increased its digital video output on Instagram and streaming sites like ESPN, Peacock and Hulu with 15-20 second ads.
- Netflix Reveals Ad Plan Price, Nielsen Partnership & more 'Basic With Ads’ Details?-?Link: The streamer unveiled its upcoming ad-supported tier—launching next month.
- Stagwell further expands its marketing cloud offerings with ‘research as a service’ purchase -?Link: Furthering its belief that software as a service (SaaS) offerings are becoming a more vital element in most marketers’ plans and executions, the highly acquisitive Stagwell just purchased control of Maru Group.
?? ?Social Trends & Insights:
- Why mass marketing will not work on Gen Z – it’s all about subcultures -?Link: A new?study by media agency Horizon Media and its social content agency Blue Hour Studios?aims to help marketers demystify the TikTok generation.
- How to spawn Gen Z awareness through esports -?Link: Watched by millions of Gen Zers around the world, esports offers marketers a number of limitations and benefits they need to be aware of.
- For Gen Z, TikTok Is the New Search Engine?-?Link: Need to find a restaurant or figure out how to do something? Young people are turning to TikTok to search for answers. Google has noticed.
- Gen Z: Anti-Wellness?-?Link: According to WGSN - Gen Z is rebelling against the demands and pressures of wellness culture. For brands, it’s time to embrace new aesthetics, encourage more forgiving and fluid routines, and offer a new perspective on what it means to be ‘well’.
- 9 Tactics Brands Can Learn From Instagram Celebrities?-?Link: HootSuite shares 9 tried and true tactics that brands can learn from Instagram celebrities.
- Twitter Shares Tips for Brands Looking to Tap into the World Cup 2022 Discussion?-?Link: With the World Cup on the horizon - Twitter has?shared some new tips?on how brands have seen success via sports event-related promotions in the past, which could assist in your planning.
- Twitter Shares Insights into Music Engagement Trends in the App [Infographic]?-?Link: Per?Twitter:?“Staying on top of the most popular genres and calendar moments can help you reach some of the most influential audiences on Twitter. As new music drops every week and huge cultural events dot the calendar throughout the year, there’s always a major music trend on deck.” Check out the insights?here.
- 5 Image SEO Optimization Tips [Infographic]?-?Link: The team from?Three Sixtee Digital Marketing?share their image SEO tips in this infographic.
- The Top TikTok Trends to Try This Week -?Link: Each week, Later updates this resource with the top TikTok trends heating up on the feed, what they are, and how one can incorporate them into their strategy.
- The Top Instagram Reels Trends to Try This Week?-?Link: As Reels & TikTok don’t always share the same trending formats - each week, Later updates this resource with the top Instagram Reels trends gaining traction on the feed, what they are, and how one can incorporate them into their strategy.
?? Content Creator Updates:
- Microsoft brings DALL-E 2 to the masses with Designer and Image Creator -?Link: Microsoft is making a major investment in?DALL-E 2, OpenAI’s AI-powered system that generates images from text, by bringing it to the newly announced Microsoft?Designer?app and Image Creator tool in Bing and Microsoft Edge.
- SoundCloud takes a page out of MySpace’s playbook?-?Link: The streamer has refreshed its creator suite and plans to make it easier for artists and fans to interact.
?? Other Engaging Posts of the Week:
- Will the Metaverse Actually Become a Real Thing? -?Link: That’s become a key question in recent times. Meta has?invested billions into the long-term project?that, thus far, still looks largely experimental, and seems unlikely to become a replacement for online interactions as we know them.
- Mark Zuckerberg on the Quest Pro, building the metaverse, and more?-?Link: A year after rebranding Facebook to Meta, Mark Zuckerberg is still all in on building the metaverse
- Decentraland’s billion-dollar ‘metaverse’ reportedly had 38 active users in one day?-?Link: Decentraland disputed the DappRadar report, claiming it has 8,000 active users on a daily basis, which would put it behind Left 4 Dead 2 by about 10,000 users.
- Spotify reveals that 33% of the songs on the global weekly chart are catalog tracks — more than 18 months old?-?Link
--------------------------------------------------
