This Week in Social Media & Style | Dec. 12th 2016
Home & Style Trends
What will be the top home and decor trends for 2017? Pinterest usually has a pretty educated guess based on trending searches. According to a recent article published by Apartment Therapy, here is a shortlist of what we’ll be seeing in the months to come:
+ Navy is the new black
+ Indoor plants will continue to rule our living rooms
+ Wooden wall treatments will become de rigueur
+ Nightstands are new and notable.
+ Farmhouse style isn’t going anywhere.
+ Hygge, the Danish interirors trend of coziness and warmth; is hot.
+ Marble wallpaper, or even marble wall cladding will be popular for a luxe look.
+ Acrylic accents will be everyhing.
+ You just can’t have enough copper.
Social Media News & Trends
- Starbucks is launching an even more robust artificial intelligence-powered ordering system than their already existing system, in which online guests will be able to place their orders by voice command and messaging interface. — Via Marketing Week
- 2017’s biggest trends in online and social media marketing are poised to included the rise of messaging bots, a re-focus on earned media, a push towards gaining organic brand mentions through emotional appeals, and and renewed zealotry for policing the rise of fake news. — Via Marketing Week
- Facebook admits more marketing errors, and dedicates time and resources to ameliorate at least some of them. In most cases, Facebook advised that these changes to mitigate analytics errors would result in a 10% increase or decrease in audience estimates. — Via WARC News
- “ Twitter announced on its developer blog that, starting Feb. 1, 2017, it will no longer be possible to create lead generation campaigns although marketers will still be able to view, edit and delete these campaigns. On the same day, Twitter will also remove the ability to create or edit lead generation cards. It will be possible to view lead generation cards through March 1. Campaign analytics will still be available, the company said.” — Via Marketing Dive
- “The next-generation television company may be in your pocket. Snapchat, once pegged by the public as a social-messaging app and recently self-declared camera-based platform, is actually starting to look more and more like TV for young viewers who prefer smartphones over flat screens, industry players say. Last week, Snapchat’s Discover section — already chock-full of content channels from the NFL, MTV, Food Network and others — added Bleacher Report to the U.S. version of its app, while striking a larger deal with the sports publisher’s parent, Turner Broadcasting. The two partners will collaborate on original-scripted and reality-based video programming from Turner properties such as TBS, Adult Swim and truTV. What’s more, Snapchat today will reveal that Discover is also adding Mitú, a popular English-language content platform focused on Hispanic-American youth culture.” — Via AdWeek
- Pantone’s announcement of Color of the Year — the shade that will define design and style trends, as well as fit the national climate for the upcoming 12 months, according to the color institute and consulting agency — has become the peak annual event for a company whose work is mostly done behind the scenes. “We know what kind of world we are living in: one that is very stressful and very tense,“ Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, told The New York Times. “This is the color of hopefulness and of our connection to nature. It speaks to what we call the ‘re’ words: regenerate, refresh, revitalize, renew. “[Color of the Year] is so pure and simple, but it’s become a hugely influential campaign that has legs for a full year,” said John Sampogna, co-founder of the agency Wondersauce. “It’s basically an advertising campaign that serves as a platform for all brands to attach to. They’re marketing their aesthetic.” — Via Glossy
- “ L’Oréal Canada has tapped Toronto-based mobile tech firm dubdub to “enhance and accelerate” its influencer marketing program, according to a joint press release. L’Oréal is most interested in dubdub for its dubcandy app, which supports shoppable video content that can link out to retailer websites for direct sales. E-commerce acceleration is part of L’Oréal Canada’s growth strategy per Stéphane Bérubé, VP and CMO of L’Oréal Canada, who said in the release that the dubcandy application is already converting content into sales and impacting influencer partnerships in part by providing a new compensation model for influencer campaigns.” — Via Marketing Dive
- Esquire is the latest publication to join the trend of launching a pop-up channel on Snapchat Discover. “Esquire, the Hearst-owned men’s lifestyle magazine launched its first 48-hour Snapchat Discover channel on Friday, featuring a compilation of grooming guides sponsored by Armani. This is Hearst’s fourth publication to experiment with Discover — it follows Seventeen, Marie Claire and Sweet, the company’s recently formed standalone Snapchat Discover product, which consistently delivers fresh content. Esquire’s decision to use Snapchat Discover reflects a growing trend among publishers to dabble with ephemeral content via the platform. Condé Nast forayed into Discover with a channel for Vogue around New York Fashion Week in September — and a month later, it used it to promote W Magazine’s 10th anniversary issue. For Condé Nast, as well as Hearst, the effort is a move to connect with younger consumers and readers who are frequent users of the Snapchat app.” — Via Glossy
- Nordstrom’s hottest gift item this season is a hand-crafted, leather-wrapped — rock? In a surprising turn, the luxury department store’s $85 bespoke piece of stone has been flying off the shelves. While people on social media scratched their heads and created viral memes, Nordstrom and the rock’s creator, company ‘Made Solid’ are laughing all the way to the bank. — Via RetailDive
- In a super clever SEO-driven digital advertising activation, IKEA has chosen to name a select number of their products after real-world problems. — Via RetailDive
- How emerging streetwear brands sell and market exclusively on social media. — Via Glossy
- Instagram’s newest update ushers in ‘Instagram Live’ — a broadcasting service that ape’s Facebook’s popular feature of the same name. — Via Social Media Today
- Facebook launches live 360 Video, continues the move towards immersive video content. — Via Social Media Today
- How Stuart Weitzman is using content designed specifically for WeChat to grow their audience in Asia. Hint: It also involves Gigi Hadid. — Via Glossy
CASE STUDY 1 : Covergirl Deploys ChatBot to Drive Conversations, Clicks
“CoverGirl, the make-up brand, has launched what it says is the first influencer marketing campaign involving chatbots and has seen 91% positive sentiment about the initiative so far.As reported by Advertising Age, fans of CoverGirl use Kik, the teen-focused messaging app, to interact with a chatbot version of Kalani Hilliker, a 16-year-old American TV celebrity. KalaniBot analyses and then simulates the influencer’s conversational style across all her social media accounts and is reported to get smarter as it interacts with fans.
The Amplify, an influencer marketing platform, and chatbot developer Automat, are the two companies that created and developed KalaniBot. Both companies are now subsidiaries of You & Mr Jones, the online portal. Commenting on the program, David Jones, the former global CEO of Havas and founder of You & Mr Jones, said: “Mobile commerce will be colossal using bots. In 12 months there will be thousands of these.”
According to Jones, the campaign has so far delivered 14 times more conversations with the chatbot than with an average post by Kalani Hilliker, 91% positive sentiment, an average of 17 messages per conversation, 48% of conversations leading to coupon delivery, and 51% click-through on coupons delivered. In addition, the chatbot’s detailed analytics delivers feedback on engagement levels, sentiment analysis, response rate and purchase links, among other metrics.” — Via WARC News
Case Study 2: Sperry Partners with Hundreds of Micro-Influencers and Curalate to Drive Instagram Engagement through Stylish User-Generated Content
“Sperry, which is known for its boat shoes that anchor its 68 U.S. stores, is ramping up its digital marketing game — specifically on Instagram. Since eMarketer recently predicted 74 percent of U.S. companies with at least 100 employees will use Instagram in 2017, that’s a pretty ho-hum narrative so far, huh? But how the Lexington, Mass.-based company is been going about it is actually interesting — and sometimes a little extreme.
In the last several months, the chain brand has worked with roughly 100 “micro-influencers,” or consumers who were posting popular images of Sperry products on social media. Working with Curalate, the retailer accesses and shares the pictures — with the consent of the photographers — to great effect.” — Via Adweek
