Pinterest QR Codes, Google Events, and the Move to Vertical Video | Social Media Marketing News for the Week of 5.8–5.14

A shot from Aldo’s “Inspired by Aldo” Campaign, featuring @SundaySuppers chef/food stylist Karen Mordechai baking a salted chocolate cake in Aldo boots

• Aldo recently overhauled the design of their website to value digital engagement over completed transaction in a move that has been heralded as an attempt to compete with SEO search and Amazon prime. In addition to the digital campaign, Aldo has also amped up their instagram campaign with a recurring feature titled; “Inspired by Aldo” that will feature high-powered people in business wearing their products. The features include bios on a chef, a floral arranger, a designer, and a photographer doing what they do best in their Aldo gear. The brand will encourage engagement with the “Inspiration is Everyone” contest, asking fans to name the people who inspire them for a chance to win $250 Aldo gift card. http://www.retaildive.com/news/aldo-focuses-on-creatives-not-shoes-for-new-instagram-campaign/410438/

• “Pinterest announced several upgrades to the Lens visual search camera technology for its mobile app in a company blog post Tuesday. Lens, rolled out earlier this year in beta, can now scan QR codes to link directly back to brands’ websites and Pinterest boards and is also better at recognizing multiple objects at once. An app shortcut that opens directly to Lens is also expanding to Apple smartphones after successful tests on Android devices, the company said. In related news, Pinterest promoted its Head of Discovery Engineering Vanja Josifovski to the role of chief technology officer, TechCrunch reported QR codes are back in a big way, and Pinterest is looking to capitalize on their resurgence as part of building out its “visual discovery business.” Snapchat has been emphasizing its own Snapcodes as a means to diversify ad products post-IPO; the startup 1App is helping marketers like Starbucks drive app trials via QR codes and even Spotify, a music streaming service, recently introduced its own QR offering. Pinterest is gearing up a rebranding campaign to get people to think of it as something other than a social network, Bloomberg reported, with its focus instead being on product discovery, saving and presumably sharing. The platform has 175 million users, per TechCrunch, but has not, to date, been a major part of the mobile marketing conversation_ — Via MarketingDive http://www.mobilemarketer.com/news/pinterest-upgrades-visual-search-tech-with-qr-capabilities/442357/

FACT: Mobile users hold their phone vertically over 90% of the time.

“Video viewing on mobile is on the rise — and as it continues to grow, so will the demand for well-executed vertical videos that capture consumers’ attention and fill the full screen of the device, emulating the content they’re used to seeing in their news feed and other portrait-oriented apps. “ — via MobileMarketer.com

• “Google updated its mobile application and website to show nearby happenings like sporting events, concerts, art exhibits, festivals, lectures and meetings. The internet search leader added the new feature in response to the millions of daily search requests for activities, it said in a blog post. Queries like “concerts this weekend” will show on a mobile events page that has quick details about the event, date, time and location. Clicking on “more events ” provides filters to narrow the search results. Users can click on an event to see more information and buy tickets from the site. The events search pulls data from other services like Ticketmaster, Bandsintown and Eventbrite that can be sorted by location and date. Google also provides developer guidelines so that event promoters can create listings that get seen in the events search.” — Via MobileMarketer.com
• “Facebook added a tool this week to help marketers learn more about how ad campaigns generate sales leads in offline settings like a store, telephone call or in-person meeting. Marketers can connect their customer relationship management, point-of-sale or call center systems to Facebook’s new Offline Conversion feature to help monitor ads, the company said in a blog post. In addition to attributing success to the right channels, Facebook noted that the more granular information lets marketers understand the non-digital outcomes of a campaign, including which lead ads are more effective at driving bottom-line results. That kind of data can help to target high-value customers from the prior month using custom audiences and look-alike audiences while excluding in-store purchasers to find new local prospects.” — Via MobileMarketer.com

Melissa Feliciano tries out the Sephora Virtual Artist at the beauty retailer’s new store near Herald Square in Manhattan. Credit: Karsten Moran for The New York Times

• CASE STUDY: How Sephora is Thriving Amidst the Retail Crisis
  “Bloggers and YouTube stars, Instagram videos and virtual assistants are replacing department store sales clerks, whose customers now know as much as they do (or more) about mermaid eyes and ombré lips. Brand loyalty is out, replaced by Sephora’s try-more-buy-more ethos. Friends hold as much sway these days as trained experts.” — Via the New York Times