WHIS — Kicking off 2018 w/ the Nerd

Welcome to 2018! More than 10 million people went live on Facebook on NYE. Meanwhile, I won’t even tell you how many times I’ve aready had to replace the “7” with an “8” when writing the date… and hopefully anyone I work with doesn’t read this and call me out either.

Anyhow, as we move into the new year and brands continue to embrace different avenues to get their products and services in front of their audiences they need to remember one crucial thing — most people don’t give a sh*t about advertising. In fact, they’re irrated by it. Think about the last time you were trying to look something up on YouTube and you were interrupted by an ad that you couldn’t skip. Now channel that anger and frustration then think about someone who doesn’t work in the advertising industry. Exactly.

The challenge this year will be for brands to focus on advertising that drives some sort of emotional attachment in a creative and unique way that gets consumers to engage on their terms.

Enough rambling though, let’s get into why we’re here — What’s Happening in Social.

GENERAL UPDATES

• The Whippie Awards: NewsWhip put together a list of the best brands on social in 2017. While I may disagree somewhat with Wendy’s being in the top three for social overall, their account on Twitter is actually funny as sh*t! (NewsWhip)
• Social Trend Predictions for 2018: eMarketer put together some predictions for which milestones social will hit this year. What I love about this report is that it ends with covering what they got right and wrong in their predictions for 2017. (eMarkter)

PLATFORM UPDATES

Facebook

• Emotions > Engagement/Clickbait: Facebook is demoting both engagement-bait and clickbait. However, “emotion bait” is a tactic that seems to be rising as a successful strategy for brands. (NewsWhip)
• Messenger for Kids: Kids will be able to message with pre-approved contacts. While I still prefer finding all the bikes in front (not to date myself), I do think this is a huge opportunity for Facebook to keep younger audiences connected. (TechCrunch)

Instagram

• Influencers Rule IG: According to NewsWhip, Sponsored Posts made up more than 19 million engagements weekly. While we knew that influencers made brands more relatable, I think this helps prove that point even further. The question is, how many conversions did they lead to. (NewsWhip)
• Recommended Posts: Instagram rolled out a feature that they were testing in early December that will change the content you see on your feed. While I was a little irked when I heard this news at first, it seems to be non-evasive, is clearly labeled, and is only about three to five posts. I just hope they don’t expand it and do wish they gave me the option to opt-in rather than just see it. (TechCrunch)

Twitter

• Tweetstorms: While CNN and other news networks are talking about new ways to describe blizzards (they called one a “bomb cyclone”), I’m just over here in my corner excited about Twitter getting its sh*t together. Users will be able to utilize a feature that makes it easier to follow along with Twitter rants/stories that last more than one tweet. (Washington Post)

Snapchat

• Ads You Can’t Skip: Let me start this off by saying I will be livid if this happens. Knowing that they may start jamming ads down our throats when we want to just engage with friends is crazy. Snapchat is a messenger. That’s like being forced to watch an ad when you’re just trying to text a friend. Let’s hope this just dies on the idea table! (AdAge)
• Stories Everywhere: Snapchat may be working on a new feature that allows users’ stories to be viewed without the app. The question is, where and how would one use a story that disappears in 24 hours? (WeRSM)

YouTube

• Top YouTube Ads of 2017: The Rock made this list so I am at peace. “Can you smelllllllllll…” (If you can’t finish that sentence then you are too young and deprived). Also, two ads on the list topped 100 million views! Take notes. (Adweek)

DOPE A$$ ADS

The first ever AR unboxing lens on Snapchat gave sneakerheads around the world the chance to unbox the new Jordan Gatorade AJ1s. This way, no one felt left out while a select few chose to share what they wanted about the shoe.

COOL A$$ APPS

• Swatch: Finally, an app for those of us who can’t tell the difference between maroon and burgundy! While some of you may laugh at me because of my lack of color understanding outside of black, red or white — there are some people who are legit going to benefit from this. The app recognizes what color your iPhone is looking at, identifies it, and even recommends matching schemes! Download it from the App store here! (WeRSM)

Who the f*%$ is #TheSocialNerd?

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Hope you enjoyed reading and are up to date on some of the dope sh*t happening in the world of social. Don’t forget to subscribe and stay tuned for more updates!