Tag: Facebook

Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD.

While we all wait with baited breath on the naming convention of Britain’s Royal baby number three (it is supposedly neck and neck between Arthur and Edward), why not take your mind off it by catching up on the digital news we have showcased in this week’s FWD.

For those of you who are in the Android camp then you will be pleased to know Google is launching a new messaging service which will rival that of SMS, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Exciting news in the advertising world as you can now buy products directly from Snapchat lenses and, love them or hate them, Facebook is testing more pre-roll placement ads, good timing for Facebook as ad viewability levels have hit their highest level since records began.

Talking of social media, OMD has been working with Theirworld + Dynamo (the magician) to support the #youpromised mission to ensure that there will be no lost generation of children as a result of the Syrian crisis by holding Global leaders to the promise they made two years ago.

HEADLINES

• You can now buy products directly from Snapchat Lenses
• Flickr, previously owned by Yahoo!, have been sold to SmugMug
• Google launches new SMS messaging device for android
• Facebook are testing more pre-rolls placements after their success in Watch.
• Pinterest is rolling out new profiles and insights for business

INSIGHTS

• Ad viewability has hit an all time high! What a time to be alive
• If you like Game of Thrones you might want to rethink that password
• How publishers and influencers are using Instagram Stories as traffic drivers

COOL

• American Express brought shoppable AR to the festival experience at Coachella
• How Google is using AR to identify cancer cells early
• Instagram has started a new profile to promote design and creativity on the platform

DEEP READS

• How Disney’s online streaming will impact the industry
• Meet the wolves of Instagram
• 27 useful things Chrome could do for you

As always, please share anything you find interesting using #OMDFWD

Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD. Following the Cambridge Analytica fiasco, this week saw social media giants such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter reviewing their privacy standards with Facebook releasing a new and efficient way of removing connected apps from user’s accounts. For those of you who ever regret sending a Facebook message you will be pleased to know that Messenger is following in the footsteps of WhatsApp and will add an ‘unsend’ feature. OMD EMEA’s Head of Social Charles-Henry Ruyant comments on how brands should approach Facebook’s 2018 changes.

As mentioned last week, Spotify went public and this week made the headlines with a bullish initial valuation from the Spotify IPO, with some positive news for the tech company despite the challenging climate for tech companies.

HEADLINES

• Spotify’s IPO got off to a good start despite a challenging climate for tech brands although some investors found its valuation difficult to fathom due to the company’s intangible assets. Their first physical product could be on the horizon in the shape of a smart car speaker and of course we hope they continue doing what they are doing with the ’Genius’
• In a haste to reassure and restore confidence after the scandal, Facebook have launched several initiatives. Including a bulk app removal tool, an ‘unsend’ feature for messenger and closed access to the Instagram API
• YouTube launches TrueView for Reach; a 5 second skippable version
• Elsewhere Twitter are going to refresh users of their ‘rules’ as Snapchat brings back the old chronological timeline for some users

INSIGHTS

• How Alexa is influencing the next generation
• Background knowledge is the reason why we will stay ahead of computers (for now)
• Ever wanted to see what other people search for? This Chrome extension is for you

COOL

• Take a tour of Tokyo in 360 degrees
• Manchester City form a partnership with Tinder to promote footballing equality
• Ready Player One recreates 80’s TV titles in 8 bit… Retro
• Tap Bio lets you link to multiple pages from one account

DEEP READS

• Google used data analytics to predict basketball game outcomes, and inserted the predictions into ads pre-game
• Have we witnessed the death of the newsfeed?
• Influencer marketing evolves as we better grasp the value in these partnerships by giving individuals long-term contracts and a better understanding of KPIs

As always, please share anything you find interesting using #OMDFWD

Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD. After a week of scandal erupting in the digital data world, speakers at Advertising Week Europe set a more hopeful tone. As OMD UK’s Joseph Harake said on stage, “we’re seeing a bit of a turn of the tide”. Speaking with Levi’s, they discussed how brands and publishers are tackling the duopoly of Google and Facebook.

It was announced last week that Google will ask publishers to get users’ consent on its behalf to comply with EU privacy law. For a deeper read, this white paper delves into the impact of the ePrivacy regulation on Facebook and Google.

As always, please share anything you find interesting using #OMDFWD

HEADLINES

• Alibaba opens a car vending machine in China that gives free test drives but only if your social score is high enough.
• Google will ask publishers to get users’ consent on its behalf to comply With EU Privacy Law.
• Tag Manager 360 debuts approvals and zones enabling enterprise users to involve more stakeholders in the tagging process without needing to give them full Publish access.
• Mastermind behind €1 billion cyber bank robbery arrested.

INSIGHTS

• Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones. The use of topographical intelligence in business strategy.
• A transcript of Rupert Howell’s speech to the Market Research Society in 2000 cropped up online, still relevant.
• How you measure uncertainty and calculate something with that uncertainty

COOL

• Artist hides secret code to $10,000 worth of cryptocurrencies in LEGO artworks.
• A Twitter bot that colourises black and white images you tweet at it in seconds using machine learning. All the detail here.
• How to break a wine glass with resonant frequency using Python.
• A court ruled that Gollum is not evil.

DEEP READS

• The Impact of the ePrivacy Regulation on Facebook and Google
• Does my algorithm have a mental-health problem?
• Net Promoter Score: a question aimed at determining the organization’s customer’s loyalty
• Despite having 71 million paying subscribers, Spotify lost $1.5 billion last year.

Hello and welcome to the penultimate February FWD. With GDPR ever looming we look at how companies are gaining consumer consent (and in some cases not) to use their data. Facebook dominated headlines over the last week being on the receiving end of a user-privacy ruling in Germany, which they followed up – brazenly – with a marketing push of an in-app VPN and rounded off with a bold PR offensive (on Twitter no-less). Never a dull moment.

Facebook was not the only company that was put under the magnifying glass. Location based fitness tracking app Strava released an interactive “Global Heat Map” revealing sensitive information about the location and movements of servicemen and woman in Iraq, Syria and other conflict zones.

It ponders the question – how much information are you willing to share?

On that note if you see anything FWD worthy in the week ahead please share using #OMDFWD.

HEADLINES

• Something to consider while you’re wrangling your weekly reports: someone made a 3D game engine in Microsoft Excel using nothing but formulas.
• New Google Trends. With added real-time. Catch the wave.
• With ePrivacy set to follow hot on the heels of GDPR major German publishing groups and non-publisher partners are looking to login collectives to protect advertising revenue.
• Announced last June last Thursday was the day that Chrome starts removing ads from sites that do not follow the Better Ads Standards. Here’s how it works.

INSIGHTS

• A study around the speed of modern technology the findings of which put decades old offerings well ahead. Yes, it’s ugly, but worth the read for the trip down memory lane alone.
• The Amazon That You Don’t See (That Google And Facebook Are Watching).
• Aggregated and anonymised. A cautionary tale about open data.

COOL

• With most manufacturers focusing on better hardware and title exclusivity in the never-ending console arms race Nintendo does the most Nintendo thing ever debuting a combination of cardboard, rubber bands, IKEA-esque DIY, and augmented reality titled LABO.
• Quite a few people are building a new internet. No, seriously.
• $2 million in treasure yet to be found. Here’s a link to the map and clues. Have at it.

DEEP READ

• If I could ask you to read one thing this week: No one’s coming. It’s up to us.

Hello and welcome to your post-CES edition of FWD. L’Oréal presented a wearable battery-free electronic UV sensor, and the WWE and NextVR are partnering to bring wrestling to your headset. Facebook cuts the clutter in newsfeeds to help users have more active and meaningful social interactions. Whilst this means organic reach on Facebook will decrease, the company is also testing a new section inside its app for local news, events and announcements. Amazon takes advantage of bringing in new ad tech tools for publishers and is launching its Transparent Ad Marketplace in Europe. If you missed out on CES, don’t worry, you can still catch up on the key trends and biggest developments from the exhibition by heading over to the OMD EMEA blog. Experts from across OMD have captured the biggest revolutions and evolutions of the week.

HEADLINES

• For those that still have Facebook Friends – the company announces a returning onus on friends, not brands
• Facebook will attempt to filter local news too
• Amazon unveils its ad tech ambitions, which seeks to offer increased transparency for all

 INSIGHTS

• UK Shoppers spent £1bn more than anticipated and bought more unwelcome socks than ever
• The growth of AI in chart form
• One in six own a smart speaker (and counting!)

COOL

• Ever wondered if you have a doppelganger? Google can help with that!
• For any budding/closet Wrestling fans out there, a future in the ring is very much a reality
• L’Oreal launch a rather nifty wearable to combat UV rays

DEEP READS

• What the future implications are for brands which rely on the Newsfeed
• What the outlook is for the Virtual Assistant marketplace in 2018 competition is setting up to be the key trend for 2018
• Who were the successes at CES and the aftermath

Another call for stories, we love it when you get involved! If you find anything interesting, please share using #OMDFWD.

Hello and welcome to the final FWD of 2017! As we wrap up for the year, we have some final gifts from the tech universe for you to fill your stockings with! Bitcoin’s value is soaring, Google Maps is soon to tell us when it is time to get off the train or bus, and Twitter is making it easier to expand on our thoughts by creating Threads. Test it out now by sharing your view on the winner of Twitter’s ‘World Cup of Christmas Songs‘.

HEADLINES

• Facebook is clamping down on posts that ask people for Likes or shares
• Twitter makes it easy for users to create Threads made up of related thoughts. Ralf Little will be happy
• Instagram now lets you follow hashtags

INSIGHTS

• 5 things we learned about influencer marketing this year
• New Facebook study highlights effectiveness of mobile video techniques
• 89% of Indian auto sales are now digitally influenced

COOL

• The Grand Tour returns for season 2 with rally cars powered by tweets
• As UK news brands begin publishing articles written by robots, is this the end for journalists?
• Google Maps will soon tell you when it’s time to get off your train or bus

DEEP READS

• Industry predictions for 2018, by Forresters
• How advertising can power growth beyond Brexit
• As Bitcoin’s value soars, what is next for the digital currency?

And finally, as we look back across 2017, here are the top 5 clicked OMD FWD articles from the year:

1. UK FMCG report
2. Market report for the UK Retail-Beauty sector
3. OMD EMEA’s ‘Retail Revolution: The Possibilities, Potentials & Pitfalls of Implementing AI’
4. Five tech trends that will change the world in 2017
5. Facebook Messenger begins testing ads

Merry Christmas and Happy #OMDFWD New Year to you all!

The Future of TV Advertising conference is becoming a fixture in the media calendar. This year’s affair featured a renewed confidence in the strength that TV can deliver for clients. This was largely due to two factors: a thorough econometric study from Thinkbox which showed the ROI of TV, and the ongoing brand safety and viewability concerns plaguing digital media. Several themes became apparent throughout the conference, which I have expanded on below:

The ROI of TV

A new study from ebiquity, commissioned by Thinkbox, has shown TV unequivocally drove the best ROI. This was true in the short-term, but was even more pronounced in the long-term. Everyone knows how powerful TV can be at building brands, but it was strange to see marketers having to remind themselves of this fact, and question the levels of investment they were getting from digital.

Hitesh Bhatt from Samba TV made the point that actually ROI is highest when TV and Digital work together. TV is misunderstood due to the inability to measure as much as digital, and actually broadcasters should be working with agencies and digital partners as much as possible to really prove their value further. This was reiterated by Ryan Jamboretz, CCO of Videology, who also called for broadcasters to define Advanced TV before someone else does.

Addressable TV is getting closer to possible

For a long time addressable TV, or programmatic TV, has been a dream for clients and agencies. It seems like that dream is close to a reality today, certainly in the UK and US markets. In the US, the introduction of OpenAP is allowing advertisers to reach specific audiences across a range of broadcasters. In the UK, Sky has been offering this approach for the past couple of years. The recent launch of Group M’s Finecast looks to broaden the opportunity beyond Sky, and currently involves all broadcasters bar ITV.

Does this mean personalised TV will become the norm? Interestingly, most major advertisers thought not. Many argued that in reality, there is little wastage in TV, as all views could be valuable. Richard Brooke, global media director for Unilever, pointed out when Dove for Men launched, the target audience, men, knew instantly what the brand positioning was. The reason for this was they had seen so many female-targeted Dove ads in the prior decade. Echoed by Rick Mandler, VP of Strategy and Digital at ABC, who said that as an industry we know that data driven advertising will always be part of our future, but if we only focus on micro-targeting we will lose the broader brand perception which gives them meaning.

The other downside is cost. The ROI for addressable still did not deliver compared to more large-scale TV campaigns aimed at broad audiences. However, addressable TV has been brilliant at persuading smaller more niche clients to use TV for the first time. For example, Mclaren, selling a £175,000 sports car, used TV instead of direct mail for the first time.

Brand Safety and Viewability is weighing on everyone’s minds

This was a TV conference, so the bias was understandable, but most advertisers expressed their concerns with digital marketing. David Benson from Google was left to defend YouTube, and pointed out that AI improvements are now helping remove unsuitable materials in 87% of cases before they have even been flagged. But this may not be enough to persuade some large advertisers back to the platform. They want to be able to target audiences, and TV now seems to be opening up that opportunity in a safer environment.

Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, had previously said Facebook delivers a Superbowl-sized audience every night. Fox TV looked at the numbers, realised this stat wasn’t close to the reality, and published the data showing they deliver the equivalent of 700 Facebook audiences each day.

Ben Sutherland, CMO for Diageo, shows a cartoon illustrating the thoughts of many in the room on the difficulties with digital advertising:

After outlining his approach for building a trusted marketplace for Diageo, he also called for digital partners to show a step forward approach in terms of the seriousness around brand safety and ad fraud across the board, more than just through white and black lists.

Will TV keep losing young viewers to OTT?

If there was a dark note to the air of self-congratulation, it was the growing reach, and deep pockets of Netflix and Amazon. Both services continue to be successful, especially with younger audiences, and are taking viewers into an ad-free space. Their success to date has been built around drama and comedy (see image) but there was much talk that Amazon in particular may explore live sports as the next step. In the US they have broadcast NFL games this year. Apple, Facebook and Google also look interested in growing their OTT services and potentially using sport as a way in. Sport has huge attractions for these businesses: a built-in audience, they are willing to pay a premium to watch, and they have shown already they will move platforms to view.

The final and over-arching message of the conference was that there is definitely a future for TV, and an exciting one at that, as long as broadcasters and agencies/brands take control and define their future in the right way with their consumers at front of mind.

Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD! This week, Spotify CMO Seth Farbman has revealed why its data-driven outdoor ads “2018 Goals” work so well. Our personal favourite:

Avoid the “medical professionals” who added these songs to operating room playlists:
– Stressed Out
– Can’t Feel My Face
– Stairway to Heaven
– Say You Won’t Let Go

But Spotify are not the only ones that are revolutionising OOH…Volvo has built a lightening-powered billboard! Spotify listeners, you can also find out how many minutes of music you’ve listened to this year here. #2017Wrapped

HEADLINES

• 1^st social platform alteration – Snapchat are separating the media from the social
• 2^nd social platform change – a sharing button and story archiving function come to Instagram
• NEW social platform – Facebook launches Messenger for Kids (with all contacts vetted by parents)

 INSIGHTS

• Data visualisation into how ideological networks create the political bubble we digitally live in
• A deeper insight into Spotify’s latest inspired use of data in marketing
• When was Android an independent? A timeline of all the company buyouts that Google/Alphabet have made

COOL

• Volkswagen turns on OOH ad by using real lightning and a mythical superhero
• The hungry algorithm for Snickers has gone global
• Here they go again? OK GO release another music video and it is quite good

DEEP READS

• Facebook’s subtle shift in distinction from Audience API to Audience Tool – why it’s positive for us, why they’re removing the ability to exclusion target by ethnicity
• The pro’s and con’s to facial recognition
• This is ace – what the internet knows about you. Try it for yourself

If you see anything interesting in the next week, please share using #OMDFWD

Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD! Now you have recovered from Black Friday, it is time to start looking for the perfect Secret Santa gift…Pinterest is here to help! Their new ultimate personalised gift guide “Pinterest Secret Santa” gives recommendations based on user behaviour.

Getting in to the festive spirit and want to splash out on the freshest tech gifts? Feast your eyes on the Amazon Echo Show, the latest Alexa-enabled device featuring content from media companies such as BBC, MTV and The Telegraph. It is currently retailing at £199!

Or if you are already over the holiday rush, you can get a head start by checking out these e-commerce trends to look out for in 2018!

HEADLINES

• In a bid to hit back at the Google Facebook duopoly, The Guardian, News UK and The Telegraph are pooling their video inventory together into a verified marketplace run by Unruly
• Instagram edges ahead of Snapchat in the battle for audience numbers across Live Stories.  Instagram introduces a Request button to allow people to join friends’ live streams and brands can now run branded Stories across Snapchat
• Amazon Echo Show launched last week, retailing at £199, it features brands such as MTV, The Telegraph and Evening Standard
• Financial Times reached its highest readership in 130 years, with over 700k digital subscribers

 INSIGHTS

• Find out the big trends in Ecommerce for 2018, according to Forbes
• Econsultancy releases their best digital marketing stats of the week
• Studies from Deloitte and Global Web Index give fresh insights into the Media Habits of Millennials and Generation Z

COOL

• BMW have used Snapchat’s new AR lens which lets customers explore models before they buy
• Pinterest has a new ‘Secret Santa’ tool which gives gift recommendations based on user behaviour
• Grime stars, artists and bloggers join Sadiq Khan to tackle knife crime in London

 DEEP READS

• A look at how Trump’s plans to repeal net neutrality could affect the internet
• Find how the Gaming industry has changed in 2017, with these top 10 trends
• 85% of businesses in the UK plan to invest in disruptive technology such as Artificial Intelligence by 2020

Please share anything of interest using #OMDFWD

Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD! Now you have recovered from Black Friday, it is time to start looking for the perfect Secret Santa gift…Pinterest is here to help! Their new ultimate personalised gift guide “Pinterest Secret Santa” gives recommendations based on user behaviour.

Getting in to the festive spirit and want to splash out on the freshest tech gifts? Feast your eyes on the Amazon Echo Show, the latest Alexa-enabled device featuring content from media companies such as BBC, MTV and The Telegraph. It is currently retailing at £199!

Or if you are already over the holiday rush, you can get a head start by checking out these e-commerce trends to look out for in 2018!

HEADLINES

• In a bid to hit back at the Google Facebook duopoly, The Guardian, News UK and The Telegraph are pooling their video inventory together into a verified marketplace run by Unruly
• Instagram edges ahead of Snapchat in the battle for audience numbers across Live Stories.  Instagram introduces a Request button to allow people to join friends’ live streams and brands can now run branded Stories across Snapchat
• Amazon Echo Show launched last week, retailing at £199, it features brands such as MTV, The Telegraph and Evening Standard
• Financial Times reached its highest readership in 130 years, with over 700k digital subscribers

 INSIGHTS

• Find out the big trends in Ecommerce for 2018, according to Forbes
• Econsultancy releases their best digital marketing stats of the week
• Studies from Deloitte and Global Web Index give fresh insights into the Media Habits of Millennials and Generation Z

COOL

• BMW have used Snapchat’s new AR lens which lets customers explore models before they buy
• Pinterest has a new ‘Secret Santa’ tool which gives gift recommendations based on user behaviour
• Grime stars, artists and bloggers join Sadiq Khan to tackle knife crime in London

 DEEP READS

• A look at how Trump’s plans to repeal net neutrality could affect the internet
• Find how the Gaming industry has changed in 2017, with these top 10 trends
• 85% of businesses in the UK plan to invest in disruptive technology such as Artificial Intelligence by 2020

Please share anything of interest using #OMDFWD