The Popcorn team understands the importance of ensuring that we’re up to date with emerging trends, digital marketing news stories and platform updates. During our weekly team meeting we each highlight an interesting article or news story. In this weekly blog feature, we’ll share our exciting findings of the week with you.
THE NEWS ON TUES!
Duffley, J. (2020, April 23), “Budweiser’s “Whassup” Commercial Returns With a Special Twist” – Fan Buzz
In the spirit of nostalgia bringing communities together, Budweiser has brought the iconic “Whassup” commercial back to life, with an updated twist. Budweiser is spreading a message of positivity, unity and staying connected during these unprecedented times. The updated commercial is good for a giggle, and anything beer-related is usually always good!
Do you remember the original “Whassup” movie? Do you remember “Scary Movie”? Do you remember Scream? If you do remember all these – do you also remember being young? Cause I do not.
Hutchinson, A. (2020, April 30) “Facebook Begins to Re-Open Moderation Centers as Concerning Content Gains Momentum in the App” – Social Media Today
As a result of COVID-19, Facebook closed down its content review centres, meaning approx. 35,000 moderators were off the clock. Unfortunately, this resulted in extremely concerning content slipping through the net and being able to appear on Facebook. Not only this but COVID-19 misinformation was also able to appear on Facebook, and the implications of that are the last thing we need at a time like this.
Did you see any offensive or untrue content in your Facebook feed over the last few weeks? Were you aware that there were so many moderators working for Facebook? We’ve heard it’s a tough job, and this article by The Verge outlines some of the moderator’s stories.
Williams, R. (2020, April 30) “L’Oréal rolls out first beauty AR lenses on Snap’s desktop app” – Retail Dive
Working in alignment with Snap, L’Oreal rolls out a series of beauty AR lenses on Snap’s desktop app. Due to the massive increase in video calling and desktop device usage, the number of Snap Camera downloads have increased significantly lately. The surge in Snap usages helps L’Oreal extend the reach of their campaign showcasing their products and the brands within their portfolio.
Irvine, M. (2020, May 4) “New Data Reveals PPC Ad Campaigns Are Rebounding” – WordStream
Some (potentially!) good news from WordStream this week! It would appear that PPC campaigns are beginning to recover since the initial COVID-related crash in the past few weeks. As we already know; people are flocking in droves to social media and social networking sites to stay in touch with friends, relatives and colleagues, near and far. In addition to this, individuals in North America who had initially expected loss of income as a result of COVID-19 have recently received paycheck protection benefits. According to WordStream, starting the second week of April, paid search conversions rebounded to about 89% of their pre-COVID levels.
(2020, April 30) “Google Launches New Tools to Help Canadian Restaurants” – Born Digital
Google now allows Google My Business account owners to immediately alter the opening times/update relevant information without the need for a 24-hour approval window. These updates enable businesses to remain agile during this time of uncertainty and will ultimately aid in driving brand loyalty and transparency. Google has also updated business profile features to include information on COVID-19 safety precautions and cleaning, takeout procedures.
Soto Reyes, M. (2020, May 5) “TikTok is testing a new call-to-action ad option for influencer posts” – Business Insider
TikTok is testing a new partner program that will see the platform itself split ad revenue with select influencers when brands elect for “Shop Now” buttons on the creators’ content. This is an expansion on the existing shoppable ad features that Tik Tok have been working on over the last year.
Spotify for Artists (2020, April 22) “Introducing Artist Fundraising Pick” – Spotify for Artists
Spotify for Artists is launching a new feature: the Artist Fundraising Pick. Just like artists can select any piece of music to highlight on their profile as an Artist’s Pick. This feature enables artists who are interested in raising money to support themselves, their bands, or their crews, to get the word out to their fans on their Spotify artist profiles. Fans can donate to their favourite artists using CashApp, GoFundMe or Paypal.
In summary; it appears that driving connection and fostering a sense of community is very much still at the forefront of digital and social media marketing efforts. The uptick of users on social media is also clearly having an impact on the digital landscape, with offensive content slipping through the cracks in the absence of essential moderators. It appears that ad spend at this time is now considerably less risky than just a few weeks back as PPC campaigns rebound, and active Facebook and Instagram users skyrocket.