So-Called Social: Week of August 13
Your weekly dose of social news.
I’ve been counting down to Friday for a whole week. And here we are! Lots of good stuff on social. AR video chat games, a peek inside Old Spice’s boardroom, tips for advertising on Reddit, and more. All below.
Social nets update stuff
FB Messenger users can now join friends in playing the platform’s first multiplayer augmented reality video chat games. “Don’t Smile” is like a staring contest that detects if you grin, and then uses AR to contort your face into an exaggerated Joker’s smirk while giving the W to our opponent. “Asteroids Attack” sees you move your face around to navigate a spaceship, avoiding rocks and grabbing laser beam power-ups. My question is: who has time for all of this?!
Beware! Facebook is now requiring some pages with large U.S. audiences to go through additional authorization that includes confirming their primary country location and adding two-factor authentication. I don’t think we’ve noticed this on any of our pages yet, but good to keep an eye out.
Sounds like Pinterest has expanded its trial of promoted video at max width from a select group of advertisers to all brands. FYI — videos at standard width are the same size as all other pins on Pinterest, and videos at maximum width are ~4x bigger, spanning across Pinterest’s two-column grid. And, in this case, bigger seems to mean better: they’ve seen increased engagement rates for this format as pinners take notice of this high-impact video.
Google has launched a new video-based Q&A app called Cameos. The app allows people to answer questions about themselves, then share those answers directly on Google. Kinda like Reddit’s AMA, but with video, and on Google. The app is aimed at celebs and other public figures with the idea that they can answer fan questions in their own voice, instead of leaving the answers up to other websites.
Adobe does stuff
Our second installment in the Lightroom Classic series called “One Tool, Three Ways” is now live on the blog! This blog series highlights Lightroom’s legacy with our professional audience, and the true power and innovation of its tools. In each installment we feature three photographers, each from different professional backgrounds, who explore how Lightroom’s tools can transform photographs into uniquely personal creative expressions.
Other brands do stuff
Old Spice is inviting fans into its boardroom, you know, so they can help make decisions on ROI and KPIs and stuff. If you’re anything like me, the kind of work that comes out of Old Spice (smelly paper blazers, invisible movies, Isaiah, Terry, etc.) has me wondering what the heck goes on in that marketing department (and wanting to be a fly on the wall). Well, now fans were able to be that fly on the wall as Old Spice hosted a live YouTube experience in which fans were able to watch and control the marketing department during a board meeting.
Also in the boardroom was “Insta-famous influencer” Toddy Smith who discussed the power of influencers as livestreamers tried to influence him. The campaign also tasked SuperDeluxe (with the help of its fans) to create a Powerpoint presentation that boardroom attendees had to sort through during the meeting. Pretty brilliant, tbh.
Interesting stuff
Two years ago, Instagram did something that felt a little…desperate. It copied the best product from a direct competitor, and even gave it the same name. But now, it’s clear that launching Stories was the best decision Instagram ever made. There are a lot of reasons why Instagram Stories worked and stole the show from Snapchat. Perhaps the most important is that Stories alleviated some of the pressure that users felt when posting to their Instagram account?
Social team, note! Instagram is recommending six practices to make better use of its newly launched IGTV for videos up to an hour long — vertical video (or clever editing of horizontal content to fit), get creative with your video’s cover image, swipe up best practices, and more. #protips
Apparently, this week is the week for tips. These are some great tips for advertising on Reddit (you know, now that Reddit has crossed over to the dark side). I knew I’d like these tips because the first one is “use Reddit.” Agreed, comrade. Understanding the way to communicate on Reddit, targeting the right subreddits, and being genuine without trying too hard are also included.
Fun stuff
Me this weekend, fishing in Colorado!
Someone please adopt this wonderful, high-maintenance cat.
As a contact lens wearer, this story is horrific.