The Trending Report: January Edition
New year, new trends! This month, Instagram introduced DMs, but make them desktop, Spotify launched playlists for your pets, DuckDuckGo made it big in the EU, the BBC unveiled a bloody brilliant ad, and the New York Times gave you 52 reasons to take that vacation you’ve been putting off.
Social
Instagram has now confirmed that it will begin a small roll out of direct message access through the web-based version of its app. For brands, the addition could have specific benefits for those looking to use Instagram Direct for customer service queries, enabling easier integration into your broader social media workflow.
Rising video app TikTok is investigating the possibility of a curated content stream, similar to Snapchat’s Discover surface. The stream would display selected, original videos from popular TikTok creators, alongside content from professional publishers.
SocialMediaToday published 3 Evolving Social Media Trends to Embrace in 2020. What are they? They predict that storytelling may soon replace social media updates, that personalization will replace interruptive experiences, and finally, they advise brands to focus heavily on augmented reality, as it offers more connecting opportunities.
Tech
Pinterest debuted a new AR feature that lets users try on lipstick before buying this month. Brands that are part of the initial rollout include Estée Lauder, Sephora, bareMinerals, Neutrogena, L’Oreal, NYX Professional Makeup, YSL Beauté, Lancôme, and Urban Decay.
After first announcing that he was working on a successor to Vine back in 2017, Dom Hoffman, the co-founder of the former short-form video leader, has now officially launched Byte, which is essentially the second coming of Vine, with updated features and focus.
Spotify now lets you curate playlists for your furry pals. What did I learn from this experiment? My dog has much better taste in music than me. Try it for yourself, here.
Finally, the New York Times wrote this very intriguing article titled The Decade Tech Lost Its Way about the flaws of technology. We highly recommend checking it out.
Paid, Analytics & SEO
Google proves it’s always thinking about travel, stating that “The chaos of the travel journey is an opportunity for marketers”. Some tips? focus on traveler’s needs, not price, let consumer behavior guide your strategy, build relationships early with search, and finally connect across the journey with machine learning.
Google released its Year in Search, and it’s worth a peek. Trending searches included Disney Plus, Hurricane Dorian, Kevin Hart, Baby Yoda, and more.
DuckDuckGo is now offered as an option for default search engine on Android devices across the EU. Google’s previous practices of setting itself as the default search provider on its own operating system was ruled illegal under EU antitrust rules. As a result, Google was hit with a record-breaking $5 billion fine.
Content Marketing
BBC’s Dracula came to Netflix, along with this clever billboard creative that gets creepier as the sun goes down.
AdAge does a deep dive on the 10 Most-Advertised Brands Today vs. A Decade Ago, officially awarding the last ten years as “the decade of the gecko”. Other top spots this decade went to Amazon, Progressive and Verizon, while ten years ago AT&T, Walmart, & Sprint were the brands on everyone’s mind.
Finally, this guide to the Ultimate Email Marketing Benchmarks for 2020 by Campaign Monitor is a must-read. Highlights include:
- Tuesdays see the highest open rates but also the highest unsubscribe rates.
- The average global email benchmarks remained consistent from last year.
- Global Retail open rates dropped in 2019, though engagement remained high.
- Email marketing continues to engage today’s consumers. And we predict even stronger numbers for next year.
Travel
January saw travel providers leaning more on software to re-price their offerings, sometimes dozens of times a day. According to the New York Times, the practice, called “hyperdynamic pricing,” is poised for significant growth, with the average price of a domestic flight changing up to 17 times in just two days, while international flights can change a dozen times in that span. Prices on high-traffic routes like New York to London can change up to 70 times over two days.
The New York Times also released its 52 Places to Go in 2020, highlighting Tokyo, the British Virgin Islands, Greenland, and many more destinations sure to inspire some serious wanderlust.
Skift predicts that the next frontier of consumer loyalty lies in subscription travel, stating that “a points program isn’t enough to create loyalty; travel is evolving to embrace a membership model that touches various aspects of the traveler’s life beyond the trip”.
Janelle is a Project Manager with VERB Interactive — a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
