Category: News Bytes

At $16.9bn, Facebook’s revenue is on a rising trend in the second quarter of 2019 even as there are mounting worries about competition in the social media space. Its revenue was up at 28% year on year and its accounted that daily and monthly active users increased by 8% to 1.59 billion and 2.41 billion respectively. It goes to show that both consumers and advertisers are still continuing to use the social network and there is a high potential for marketing here.

From August 19, posts and ads in the mobile News Feed of Facebook will be displayed at a 4:5 aspect ratio, making it shorter than the original 2:3 aspect ratio. For advertisers, this change will mean ads with fewer lines of adtext will be shown and the maximum height for photos or videos in the ad will be reduced. It is aimed at putting less text so that it’s skimmable and imagery will get the focus. This balance forces marketers to craft their message into something instantly understandable.

With Netflix, Prime and Hulu almost running TV out of business, brands are capitalizing on streaming hits that draw young audiences. Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” found dozens of products placements and this hit series spur massive brand recognition for its sponsors. Netflix released data saying that subscribers watch an average of 2 hours of their shows per day which is enough reason for brands to take the cue.

Lays’ famous limited-run “Smiles” packaging campaign featuring photos of real people smiling is back after a successful first run of the concept last year. As part of the campaign, Lay’s will donate $1 million total toward Operation Smile that provides surgeries to children born with cleft conditions. The Facebook content of the brand as part of Operation Smile last year is said to have received a 14% engagement rate, 12 points higher than the industry average.

Video-sharing platform YouTube and video streaming giant Netflix have rocketed to the No. 2 and 3 in the world ranking as most valuable media brands with Disney leading the stats. YouTube’s brand value shifted to $37.9 billion, a 46% up, while Netflix’s value more than doubled to $21.2 billion.

The stellar event announced updates to the Google Preferred algorithm and a new YouTube TV lineup specializing in deeper performance insights for Google Preferred advertisers. They also made YouTube Originals series available free to users as an ad-supported experience.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Groups are at the heart of the new Facebook experience during his F8 kick-off presentation. The social media platform is making communities on the platform crucial, putting Groups at the center of the app. With communities becoming central to the app, more organic engagement with followers of brands in Groups will be generated.

Messenger brings out two new features; lead generation templates housed directly in Facebook’s Ads Manager platform and an appointment booking interface that will work into calendar platforms. When clicking on a News Feed ad, Businesses can create an automated question and answer chat that will be delivered by Messenger to the customer. The booking feature has an interface embedded in Messenger Platform API which can be integrated with calendar systems.

Voice-generated digital campaign creates conversational experiences and customers are more comfortable with this technology. They even understand what appeals to the user as in a male or a female voice for the brand. They provide answers to voice searches, and are sharply targeted, can draw insight from NLP and can provide a more enhanced query that suits user requirement.

Publishers and influencers can ride the new wave of change on Instagram. Instagram had allowed brands to make shoppable posts but with increasing demand by customers to make the same feature available for influencers has paid off. The extended feature allows customers to buy everything their favorite creators recommend directly through their feed. Instagram will take a cut of every sale made through its platform, likely generating millions in new revenue.

Halloween is around the corner and Budweiser brings out “Drink Wiser” campaign for responsible drinking. As part of the campaign, the brand reimagined the costumed mugshots of real people who have been arrested for irresponsible drinking on Halloween. The beer brand is also encouraging people to follow @BudweiserUSA on Twitter to receive tweets notifying for reminders to keep hydrated between beers.

Google has announced in its annual report that its advertising business brings in nearly 28% of its revenue for FY19. The company’s profit quotient has seen a jump after it reduced expenses by 61% in FY19. The company’s business in India has, however, seen its revenue drop by 55.5% from FY18’s Rs 9,337 crore to FY19’s Rs 4,147 crore. It said that the fall has been due to the implementation of Indian Accounting Standards.

A latest report by Recogn, brings out key insight regarding Instagram in India. It revealed that more than 75% of the shoppers have had a satisfactory experience shopping from Instagram and a majority are likely to shop in the future too. Users look for, authenticity of the product while purchasing something on Instagram. More than 50% of consumers have shopped on Instagram and close to 75% of them are from small metros and small towns.

Tequila label Patrón becomes the first liquor brand that takes direct orders from Instagram. Swipe up on new Patrón ads in Instagram Stories to place orders that will be delivered via third-party platforms Drizly, Instacart and Reserve Bar. Shoppers will have to input their age in Instagram’s in-app checkout feature and ID will also be scanned on delivery. The Ad is also interactive and highlights everything from educational to the experience of drinking Patrón tequila.

Nykaa launched its first beauty celebrity brand Kay Beauty recently where it showcased its #ItsKayToBeYou digital campaign. The campaign features a team of women have been incredible in their respective domains, celebrating different kinds of beauty. Reena Chhabra, CEO of Nykaa remarked that their marketing spends majorly on digital since their consumers are on the digital medium. She also pointed out that fashion brands can’t do without influencers and they are critical for brand growth.