Hello and welcome to your weekly FWD.
The rise of influencer marketing is causing waves as more and more fantasy-like posts surface which have generated comments calling Instagram ‘a ridiculous lie factory made to make us all feel inadequate’. The public are becoming attuned to paid posts, unrealistic images and the ‘highlight reel’ that is often the only visible representation of one’s life. In line with this, UK broadcasters are urging the government to create a social media watchdog to strengthen oversight of social media companies. The response? Yes, we know.
In the tech space, excitement is building over Apple’s impending product announcement on the 12th of September in Cupertino. The rumour mill is churning out speculation on whether the home button is being superseded with OLED screens, and if the iWatch will at last, be round.
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Unusual things are happening this week, from people freezing for the mannequin challenge and UFO emoji’s, to futuristic vending machines appearing in towns to sell spectacles (but after the result of the recent US election, we should be prepared to no longer be surprised). If you are lucky enough to be strolling down the road and catch sight of one of these unusual-looking vending machines, you could be forgiven for thinking that you have walked onto the set of Despicable Me 3, but draw a little closer and you discover that this vending machine is in fact a very cool bit of tech. Left unattended the machine is just “sleeping”, but motion sensors wake it up as you approach. You are met by a big digital eye that interacts with you…it’s not a Minion, it’s a vending machine and it wants to sell you a device for $130 – The Snapchat Spectacle. Whether this new product will become more popular than the Google Glass is still to be decided; however, there are certainly some interesting opportunities for brands wanting to reach an audience of Snapchat loving millennials.
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- You will never have seen a vending machine quite like the Snapchat Spectacle offering
- OMG! Here is the latest set of planned emojis to be rolled out
- Pinterest has a mighty useful ‘tried’ button to share when you have sampled or experienced previously
DEEP READS
- Not the deepest of reads, but here are best Mannequin Challenges to date
- While you can’t get much more ‘native’ Google search ads, Google has partnered with native content ad partner to shift landscape and expand native offering
- A look at how Buzzfeed and Twitter used the existing strength of their platform to showcase election content
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Snapchat could soon be planning your nights out with the recent purchase of mobile search app Vurb for $110m+. Vurb is doing what traditional search engines cannot yet manage, which is bundle leisure activities together from reviewing movies, booking tickets and making restaurant reservations. Not only this, but you can do this collaboratively with friends and even pass the invitations on. Vurb is collaborating with partners such as Yelp and Rotten Tomatoes to pull information into its card-based interface. The app even deep-links you into Uber and Google Maps, providing all you need to make that night happen. Whilst Vurb’s plans are unclear, we can be sure the commercial and marketing opportunity is exciting. Especially as Snapchat becomes a source of an ‘information digest’ throughout the day. Whether that be your own friends, current news or sponsored content. As always please do share anything interesting you spot with #OMDFWD
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With the continued popularity and hype around Pokemon Go, the spotlight on Augmented Reality is bright with attention on Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality also increasing. The future of these technologies is still uncertain but hints of what is to come can be seen in recent industry headlines. Whilst the battle for which technology platform becomes the norm continues, the BBC has launched BBC Sport360 and NBC has an called NBC Sports, both of which will put you at the the heart of the Rio Olympics through VR capabilities. Sports fans are able to experience the closing ceremony, athletics, boxing and many more activities through 360-degree storytelling. Not all of us will have this technology lying around the house, but Facebook mentioned in April that more than 1 million people had used their VR Gear (a Facebook Samsung collaboration) for an array of experiences – from sports and movies to video games. Even more exciting is what type of product and user experiences VR will unlock for brands as the spotlight on this technology increases. Share anything you spot that is interesting with #OMDFWD
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Just in time for this summer’s Olympics in Rio, Facebook has launched its very own Snapchat-style camera. It comes at a time where, despite strong business success, Zuckerberg’s social platform has recently seen a 21% decline in the amount of posts shared per user and a rise in competition from rival Snapchat. According to the company, “people are increasingly sharing via videos and photos”, so this measure has been taken with the aim of boosting the number of posts uploaded daily. So now, when someone wants to share what’s on their mind, they will now be given the option of an open camera. After all, video is definitely on the rise. Please do share anything interesting you spot on Twitter with #OMDFWD
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