Weekly Trends | August 12th 2016

Social News and Trends

• China looks to expand VR gaming, after wild success of Pokemon Go heralds a new era of interactive gaming. — Via Warc.
• Mastercard Begins monetizing microtrends on Social Media. — Via Warc
• “If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em: By investing in BuzzFeed, Vice Media and Refinery29, traditional media giants are ensuring they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” — Via Digiday.
• Study: 25% of influencers are asked to not disclose paid posts. The study on influencer/brand relationships comes at a time when the FTC is actively cracking down on disclosures of paid content on social media. — via Marketing Dive
• Text to your heart’s content at Emojicon, the first-ever “conference” for emoji aficionados, taking place in San Francisco in November. Yes, There is a conference for emojis. — Via Digiday.
• Facebook just announced it’s offering in-depth reporting and videos published to it’s platforms, and brands are already tweaking what they’ve posted. — Via Digiday
• Snapchat increases number of ads users will see in Stories. While opening up its platform to more advertising, Snapchat aims to avoid frustrating users by capping the number of ads they see at three per day. — Via Marketing Dive.
• “Let’s talk about Slack, baby. Don’t know what Slack is? Then you probably don’t work in an office. The communication tool is like e-mail, but better — and it’s taking over workplaces across America. In this week’s episode of the Game Plan podcast, Francesca Levy and Rebecca Greenfield break down the enterprise software phenomenon: How it works, who uses it, and why people are so obsessed with it.” — Via Bloomberg Business Week.
• “How Apple’s new privacy settings in iOS 10 will impact mobile advertising: The tech company’s iOS 10 update gives users more control over what data advertisers can see and use. “ — Via Marketing Dive

News & Culture

• Russia and Ukraine step up security over tension with Crimea — via the Guardian
• Deadly blasts hit tourist cities in Thailand, hearkening some of the worst violence in area in recent history. — Via NBC News
• Ariana Huffington to leave corner office at Huffington Post for personal startup, Thrive. — via the Guardian

Founder of digital publisher says she wants to focus on health-themed project as she has become ‘obsessed’ with reducing impact of stress on daily life

• Donald Trump laments sliding polls while continuing provacotive approach. — The NYTimes
• “A demographic shock is sweeping the globe. By 2030, 56 countries will have more people aged 65 and over than children under 15 — and it’s not just industrialized nations like Japan and Germany. The turning point will take place in 2020 in Cuba and South Korea, according to the findings of Joseph Chamie, who spent a quarter of a century studying population patterns at the United Nations and is now an independent researcher. While living longer is a good thing, problems arise when a shrinking work force can’t foot the pension bill.” — Via Bloomberg Business Week

Home & Style Trends

• Trending: blush pink paired withi botanicals .— Via My Paradissi
• Botanical-inspired decor is having a moment. — Via Coco Lapine Design
• Black, white, and bold all over. A Scandinavian kitchen gets a rustic update with open shelving, classic subway tile, and farmhouse inspired decor. — Via My Scandinavian Home.

• Kitchen tools get a chic and slick update with bronze, gold, marble, raw woods, and angled bold silhouttes. — Via iSpyDIY

• Wood feature walls and pops of color on high-shine lacquer cabinets pop in this modern space by Paris-based architecture firm Glenn Midioni. — Via Desire to Inspire.
• Planters get a minimal chic update with simple silhouettes and sophisticated palettes of blush pink, concrete, gold, and matte black. — via A House in the Hills.