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This October’s Top Marketing Industry News
Oh, hi! We’ve been expecting you. You know, we’ve read somewhere that 10% of everyone who lands on an article never scroll down. But we know better, our readers are special. Keep scrolling, as you’re about to find out which are October’s most exciting news from the digital & marketing industry.
FTC rules that selling likes and posting fake reviews is illegal (via SMT)
The FTC has fined Florida businessman German Calas, Jr. $2.5 million over the sale of “fake indicators of social media influence”. A warning was also issued to Sunday Riley, who had written fake reviews of her company’s products on Sephora’s website and had ordered her employees to do the same. Both cases could have a serious impact on the digital industry. In the meantime, fake like and engagement sellers might want to re-think their practices.
LinkedIn is launching LinkedIn Events for members around the world (via LinkedIn Blog)
LinkedIn says the chances of people accepting connection requests on LinkedIn increase double if they have attended a face-to-face meeting. This is why the social networking site has officially launched LinkedIn Events. This feature allows members to create and organize event pages, facilitates in-person meet-ups, and stay in touch online after the event ends. Given the professional nature of LinkedIn, the option will surely come in handy.
Facebook launches new preventive health tool in the US (via WeRSM)
Have you ever missed out on your health check-up? We know we did. So did millions of Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is why Facebook is now working with health organizations in the United States to offer a Preventive Health tool that connects people to health resources and checkup reminders.
The Preventive Health tool is only available in the US at the moment. It allows people to find out which checkups are recommended based on their age and sex. They can also find affordable places to receive care, mark tests as completed, and set reminders to schedule future ones. Would you use this tool?
Kellogg’s ‘All Together’ cereal is a true token of love (via WeRSM)
The new special edition of Kellogg’s ‘All together cereal’ brought together six iconic kinds of cereal and 6 mascots to celebrate Spirit Day, an annual LGBTQ awareness day taking place in October. The brand pledged to donate $50,000 to GLAAD – an American non-governmental media monitoring organization founded by LGBT people in the media, in support of the group’s efforts to fight harassment against the LGBT+ community.
“We all belong together, so for the first time in history, our famous mascots and cereals are offered exclusively together in the same box for All Together Cereal. It’s a symbol of acceptance no matter how you look, where you’re from or who you love.” – Kellogg’s said in a statement.
TikTok’s “You’re in Control” video series aims to educate users about safety features (via TikTok newsroom)
TikTok collaborated with 12 creators to make videos that educate users about safety and privacy controls in an easy to understand way. “TikTok is committed to building a positive environment where creativity radiates and everyone feels safe,” stated Kudzi Chikumbu, TikTok’s director of creator community. Some of the topics covered by the creators in the videos include how to block other users, how to filter comments by blocking specific keywords, how to report inappropriate content, and how to report direct harassment.
Samsung’s space selfie contest launches UGC to new heights (via Marketing Dive)
Samsung launched Galaxy S10 5G to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. Wait, what? Yes, the brand launched a high-altitude balloon and used its latest smartphone model to make fan-submitted photos appear as if they’re in space. “We have brought the world a series of technological firsts in our products, and in #SpaceSelfie we’re bringing that pioneering spirit across in our marketing,” said Samsung Europe CMO Benjamin Braun in a press release.
Although the campaign was meant to last until 31 October, the Samsung satellite has crash-landed onto a Michigan property, just one week into its mission. A spokesperson for Samsung Europe said it was a planned descent that was complicated by the weather.
*imitating the whistling intro of ‘Wind of change’ by Scorpions*
Twitter now removes half of all abusive tweets automatically (via The Verge)
For Twitter, tackling online abuse and bullying has always been a challenge. The social media platform claims that more than 50 percent of tweets identified as abusive are now being flagged by its automated moderation tools first and taken down before a user reports them. In Q1 of 2019, the system was catching 38% of abusive tweets, while relying on users to flag the rest. In Q2, that number grew to 43%, and reached 50% in Q3. Let’s see what the future holds!
Budweiser reimagines Halloween mugshots for ‘Drink Wiser’ campaign (via Marketing Dive)
Budweiser has given a proper makeover to its “Drink Wiser” responsible drinking campaign for Halloween. Imagine you’ve been arrested for irresponsible drinking on Halloween and you need to take a mugshot. It’s scary enough you’re been arrested, but the photo is terrifying. Budweiser took this imaginary situation and turned it into a cool campaign with the tagline, “Don’t Let Halloween Haunt You Forever”. The beer brand encouraged people to follow @BudweiserUSA on Twitter to receive tweet notifications for real-time reminders to hydrate between beers.
Facebook partners with journalists and publications for ‘Facebook News’ (via Facebook Newsroom)
The social media platform is testing a feature that gives its U.S. users a dedicated place for news. The feature includes top stories of the day, personalized recommendations, topic sections, options to hide articles or publishers you don’t want to see, and the ability to link your Facebook account with your paid news subscriptions.
“News gives people more control over the stories they see, and the ability to explore a wider range of their news interests, directly within the Facebook app. It also highlights the most relevant national stories of the day. News articles will continue to appear in News Feed as they do today.”, Campbell Brown (VP) said in a statement.
Instagram Adds New Spark AR-Powered Experience to Checkout (via AdWeek)
Powered by parent company Facebook’s Spark AR unit, Instagram is piloting an augmented reality shopping experience. You can virtually try on different colors and styles of makeup or eyewear from Ray-Ban, Warby Parker, MAC Cosmetics and NARS Cosmetics directly via feed posts, shop pages from those brands’ profiles or Stories while using the latest version of Instagram’s mobile application. But wait, there’s more: you can buy the product directly via the camera, as well as share it to your Stories or recommend it via Direct messages to your friends.
Youtube partners with Merchbar to help artists sell their official merchandise (via Search Engine Journal)
YouTube has partnered with online music merchandise retailer Merchbar to help artists sell their official merch and vinyl right below their videos. To celebrate the launch, Marshmello has created a soccer jersey available exclusively to Merchbar and YouTube.
“This collaboration is another way YouTube is working with artists to become their most valuable platform, providing a single place to share their music, promote upcoming tour dates and showcase their own official merchandise to a global audience.” – Youtube announced.
Reddit now lets iOS users share to Snapchat (via TechCrunch)
Redditors who have the Snapchat app installed can now share their favorite Reddit posts with friends in a Snap. It’s easy: tap the “Share” icon on posts in the Reddit iOS app, select the Snapchat option & send the post to a few friends or add it to your story. Snapchatters will see unique Reddit content in their Snaps and Snap Stories via a new sticker designed specifically for the integration, which includes Reddit logo and source information. The Snapchat integration is available on iOS, with Android support coming soon.
That’s all for now, marketers! Hope you enjoyed this month’s news and don’t forget to come back for more industry goodies. Speaking of goodies, have you enrolled in the Academy yet? If not, make sure to check it out!