Excited to find out what this autumn brings to the table? You’ve come to the right place. We don’t have cookies but we brought freshly baked news from the digital & marketing industry. Just relax, enjoy a cup of coffee and get in touch if you have a piece of news to share by tweeting at @PlanableApp.
Facebook announces Horizon, a massive multiplayer VR world (via TechCrunch)
Facebook announced Horizon, its own VR sandbox universe where you can build your own games, play and socialize with friends or just explore the user-generated landscapes. Sounds fun, right? If you’re interested in early access you can apply for the beta here.
You should also know that Facebook will soon pull the plug on its existing social VR experiences Facebook Spaces and Oculus Rooms. Facebook Horizon will be launched in closed beta in early 2020. Until then, marketers can start imagining Horizon including virtual billboards for brands, Facebook-run shops or even third-party malls full of branded clothes. Let’s see what the future holds.
Snapchat adds depth to snaps with new 3D camera mode (via WeRSM)
Snap is now introducing a 3D Camera Mode in its app. This comes shortly after announcing the launch of Spectacles 3 augmented reality sunglasses in November. The sunglasses will include a second camera to capture depth. Users will be able to add goodies such as confetti, light streaks, and miscellaneous animations.
Users with an iPhone X or newer can play with the 3D Camera Mode to capture a selfie and apply 3D effects, lenses, and filters to it. No worries if you don’t have an iPhone X, as Snap will eventually bring support for other devices.
Google rolls out 6 Easter eggs to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ‘Friends’ (via SEJ)
How you doin’? Enjoying Google’s Easter eggs? What do you mean what Easter eggs? Haven’t you heard? Janice would give you a well-deserved “Oh…my…God!” right now. Google is marking the 25th anniversary of the ‘Friends’ sitcom with six new Easter eggs featuring the characters’ iconic moments.
Simply search for each of the characters’ names and tap on the icon in the knowledge panel. Voilà! Make sure you check everyone. Come on, don’t give up after the first ones. Is that what a dinosaur would do?
The new Agency Playbook is here!
— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) September 12, 2019
Twitter has unveiled an essential guide to its platform for agencies and marketers (via SMW)
Twitter published its Agency Playbook, an essential guide to its platform for ad agencies, marketers, and social media managers. The Playbook gives an overview of various campaign types, interest-based targeting and analytics tools, and creative ad specs.
“Digital advertising is hard. With new targeting tools, lightning-fast trends, and constantly-changing best practices, it can be overwhelming and challenging to stay on top of the game. Especially when you’re managing campaigns for multiple clients,” explained content coordinator Michelle Lee in an official blog post.
CPGs like MillerCoors & PepsiCo use Pinterest to energize product launches (via Marketing Dive)
According to Pinterest’s blog post, consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands across all categories are finding success when they launch new products on Pinterest. New Oracle Data Cloud (ODC) research showed that Pinterest households were 29% more likely to try a new product within the first 10 months of launch than non-Pinner households.
“This study adds to the evidence that Pinterest is a platform of exploration and inspiration, and it attracts people eager for new experiences,” Megan Margraff, senior director of client analytics at Oracle Data Cloud, said in a statement. Brands such as PepsiCo, MillerCoors, and Nestlé USA have leveraged Pinterest’s promoted video ads, carousels and sponsored static pins, registering good results.
Facebook rolls out new video tools, plus Instagram and IGTV scheduling feature (via TechCrunch)
Facebook announced new video features and tools during its presentation at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam. New features will be added to Facebook Live, including Live rehearsals, replay trimming, and simulcast Live broadcasting. Some changes will also apply to Watch Party, with Pages being able to schedule a party in advance, support for “replays”, the ability to tag business partners in branded content and new analytics.
The updates to Creator Studio include improvements to Loyalty Insights and a new Distribution metric which will score each video’s performance based on the Page’s historic average on a range of metrics. And finally – hooray! – publishers and creators will be able to publish and schedule their Instagram Feed and IGTV content for up to 6 months.
Samsung presents: “The man who got to the bottom of the laundry basket” (via WeRSM)
We all have our battles with household chores and one of those is never getting to experience that heavenly moment of reaching the bottom of the laundry basket. To launch Samsung’s new ‘Add Wash’ washing machine, creative agency Leo Burnett transformed “Man Who Got to The Bottom of The Laundry Basket” into a national hero. Thanks to Samsung’s new feature which lets you add an item to the washing after turning it on, we now know that seeing that bottom is possible. This is a story everyone can relate to, right?
Tracks shared from Spotify to Facebook Stories now come with a preview (via WeRSM)
When you share a track from Spotify to Facebook Stories, viewers will now hear a 15-second preview before tapping to listen. For now, previews will only play when you share a single track to Stories. If you choose to share other content (like albums, playlists, or your profile), viewers will be able to click directly into that content on Spotify, but they won’t hear a preview.
“Taking advantage of our sharing features helps to get your tunes to more people’s ears. It will also encourage your fans to interact with you and your music and help spread the love through their own Facebook Stories. Try it out for your next release or a special anniversary, or to simply step up your daily storytelling—because every story, even a 15-second one, deserves a proper soundtrack.”, Spotify announced on their official blog.
GroupM is forming a coalition to help brands better reach multicultural audiences (via Adweek)
Disney, Google, iHeartMedia, Meredith Corporation, NBCUniversal, Twitter, Univision and Viacom are joining GroupM’s coalition that will help brands better adapt to changing U.S. demographics. Multicultural media investments make up only 5.2 percent of total advertising and marketing spending, according to a recent study.
“The facts clearly point to an exciting opportunity for brands to engage and grow with a rising population who command and influence significant purchasing power in the United States and will only increase,” Tim Castree, CEO of GroupM North America, said in a statement.
YouTube launches ‘/Fashion’ hub for fashion and beauty content (via WeRSM)
Youtube has some great news for fashion lovers out there. The platform has launched YouTube.com/Fashion, which features original and popular content from the biggest names in the industry. Subscribers will be able to watch live runway shows of their favorite brands, videos from beauty content creators, behind-the-scenes videos from magazines and many other exciting sections. With Fashion and Beauty channels on the rise, YouTube.com/Fashion aims to be a diverse and inclusive place for content creators.
Lay’s goes ‘Insta-worthy’ in packaging refresh to attract younger consumers (via Marketing Dive)
Lay’s new packaging redesign – the first one since 2007 – looks yum. Covering all of its flavor varieties, Lay’s design showcases new food photography shot from an “Insta-worthy ‘top down’ angle”, a bite-sized logo, less text and additional visual elements. The brand also has a fresh design for its website. Lay’s aim is to appeal to younger consumers with a focus on social media.
Heineken’s World Cup ad celebrates the clueless people who still try to enjoy rugby (via AdAge)
We all know the story featuring rugby fanatics who live each moment of the game as if it was a matter of life and death. Well, this time Heineken’s first global Rugby World Cup ad focuses on a different type of protagonists: those who cheer or despair at the wrong moment or simply stare confused at the screen, before taking their cues from those around them. It’s titled “The Delay.”
“We wanted to tap into a fanship moment and make it bigger,” says Bruno Bertelli, global CCO of Publicis Worldwide. “Invite everyone to watch the Cup, not just the fans, because we know during RWC the enjoyment comes from sharing a game and a beer as much as from what happens on the field. For us it was important to make RWC accessible to a wider audience.”
Aand we’ve reached the end of this month’s marketing industry insights. Lots of exciting stuff happening, right? Join us next month for another blend of juicy news!
Raluca Cirjan
Raluca Cîrjan, Digital Marketing Specialist @Planable.io. Advertising and social media enthusiast, fast learner & ailurophile. I believe that one joke a day keeps the doctor away. Feel free to share a funny story with me.
