So-Called Social: Week of August 6

Your weekly dose of social news.

HAPPY FRIDAY. This week, I’ve got loads of Snapchat news, brands turning to meme accounts, and our entire world being designed for Instagram. Read on below.

Social nets update stuff

Snapchat is (finally) taking the plunge into influencer marketing with a Storytellers pilot program. In the hopes to boost ad spend, the platform is working to connect businesses with its top independent creators. They’ll star in ads for Stories and Discover, or provide creative direction to brands with their expertise in exchange for cash. And Snap apparently won’t be taking a cut of the deals it helps to arrange.

Alongside the launch of Storytellers, Snapchat is really gunning for the hearts and minds of creators. The platform is testing creator-made stickers and sticker packs.

Apparently this is So-Called Social: Snapchat Edition. In more Snapchat news, there are now speech recognition lenses that feature different animations depending on voice commands such as “hi,” or “wow,” or “love.” For example, saying “hi” in the new- lens launches an animation that surrounds you with a flock of chatty birds. “Love” will play cheesy jazz music. “Wow” puts a bow on your head and surrounds you with the word. WOW.

Facebook is updating its measurement of video ads to exclude repeat views from its three-second and 10-second-spot metrics. There’s also a new metric, Video Plans, which counts impressions from videos only if they’re actually played, not just if they’re displayed in the News Feed. Could actually make a difference in the accuracy of these metrics. Of course, only time will tell. #perpetuallyskeptical

Adobe does stuff

We launched the next Immersive Artist video. This week, we feature artist Can Buyukberber as he showcases the process behind his work in immersive design. Check. It. Out.

Other brands do stuff

Meme accounts have been taking over Instagram feeds, each offering their own brand of witty, relatable posts (this one happens to be my favorite. Warning: NSFW-ish). Anyway, brands are starting to take notice, and are beginning to experiment with creating their own meme accounts or partnering with existing ones that make sense. Some brands are even claiming they see more success with meme accounts than with influencers.

Interesting stuff

First it was our food, and now whole neighborhoods are being styled specifically to look good on social media. From pastel-colored houses and walls to perfectly placed flower shops, pop-up urbanism is becoming the norm. And architects are starting to incorporate Instagram-friendly styles into their planning. Wild.

The Drum spoke to six industry experts from NASA, O2, Dentsu Aegis Network, The Fashion Digital, Jellyfish, and FleishmanHillard, to get their perspectives on what’s next for the social media space in 2019. Twitch, chatbots, Pinterest, and video all made their lists.

Fun stuff

If movies ended like YouTube videos.

This might be my new favorite prank.