So-Called Social: Week of November 26

Your weekly dose of social news.

Hope everyone in the U.S. had a lovely Thanksgiving break! Since the newsletter was OOO last Friday, there’s a lot to catch up on. Buckle up.

Social nets update stuff

WhatsApp ads are coming. Dun dun dunnnnn. The ads will be displayed in the messaging app’s Status feature sometime next year. It sounds like the idea is to keep the ads highly targeted and the messages end-to-end encrypted. It also sounds like this plan was a big reason the founder of WhatsApp left in 2017.

For you Social Sellers out there, LinkedIn Sales Navigator has gotten some pretty sweet upgrades. LI has added custom lists, raised the visibility of its alert notifications, and added some more mobile search features. The Q4 product release for the sales management platform is the biggest ever.

Looks like LinkedIn is joining in on the Stories hype. It was only a matter of time, I suppose. The professional social network is testing its own Stories feature with some of its student users in the U.S. The feature puts short video clips at the top of users’ feeds in the main app to show students about the activities of their classmates and nearby schools. Curious to see how this catches on.

Snapchat has launched a certification program for AR shops to create branded lenses. Essentially, this is a partner program intended to make it easier for brands to get on board with (and pay for) its augmented reality lenses by helping advertisers find certified AR shops to craft the digital product placements on their behalf. Smart.

Ooooh we might have a new social network in our midst! TikTok, a Chinese short-form video app (kind of like Vine, RIP), has reached 80 million U.S. downloads and is gaining momentum among celebrities and influencers (including Jimmy Fallon and YouTube star Jake Paul). The rising popularity of this social network n00b is also drawing marketers.

Adobe does stuff

Last week, the Document Cloud team launched a fun social activation game that allows users to experience the new Acrobat DC Review service called “Amazing Approval Adventure.” We’ve created a fictional creative agency inside a PDF that pokes fun at workplace clichés. Participants are asked to complete 5 steps using tools in Acrobat DC to give feedback, experiencing agency life along the way. There is also a sweepstakes attached to incentivize participation with a chance to win $10,000 USD (or local equivalent) via a URL uncovered within the PDF!

Fashion brand, Fossil, adds a new dimension to their tin packaging with Adobe (yeah, I ripped off the blog headline, but it was just too good). The Dimension team recently worked with fashion brand, Fossil, to demonstrate how the app can enhance the creative workflow in creating its iconic tin packaging. We shared social GIF snippets, videos and blogs that showcase their customer story.

Other brands do stuff

You know I love me a good brand rivalry. And the Pepsi vs. Coca Cola one is a goodie. SodaStream (soon to be owned by PepsiCo) is keeping up its attacks against big beverage companies, despite the fact that it’s about to be owned by one. The home-soda making brand released a new spot that spoofs Coke’s classic “Hilltop” ad. It’s pretty great (and with a great message). Here’s to hoping SodaStream doesn’t lose that great message once acquired…

Interesting stuff

We’ve been talking a lot about moving our social measurement from outputs to outcomes, and it looks like we’re not alone. According to a recent survey by Xaxis, 86 percent of brand marketers intend to increase their focus on outcome-driven media that gives a clear indication of the return on investment on advertisements. In the U.S., 86 percent of marketers also agreed that digital campaigns must drive a direct correlation to the brand’s desired outcome.

Fun stuff

My new favorite subreddit that pays tribute to babies that look, well, elderly.

Watch Bei Bei the panda roll around in the season’s first snow.

Puppy uses mom’s ear as a blanket and I died.