Tuesday Tune-Up #270

KTS? Streak List? Translating Gen Z 

Warning: this article may make you feel old. But if you don’t write down wifi details at parties or know what it means to “keep the streak,” it’s important you read on. Gen Z speaks another digital dialect, and one brave Business Insider writer attempted to decode it for all of us confused millennial-and-above marketing people. KTS is code for “keep the streak,” and it is the latest in a string of Snapchat trends taking over teens’ time. In order to successfully KTS, you must send at least one snap to the people on your streak list every day for, well, forever. “When you lose it you cry,” says Amelia, 18. Tears may seem excessively emotional, but these types of games do have unwritten “rules” and major social implications for the world’s first digital-first generation.



“Losing a streak shows someone you’re angry at them,” says Liv, 17. In other words, passive aggressiveness now has a platform. And it isn’t Twitter – or Instagram Stories, apparently.

“Instagram stories are pointless. Nobody uses them unless you’re famous. It’s trying to take over Snapchat and they’re not going to. Snapchat is too big.”

“And I don’t get Twitter,” said Liv.

“Me either,” agreed Amelia.

“People don’t use it [Twitter], unless you’re a fan girl and want to message famous people,” said Katie.

So there you have it, folks, the world as told by teens with screens. And if you’re interested in starting a Snapchat Streak of your own, my details are @mdanno3321 #justsayin

Snapchat uses offline sales data to target ads
Clearly, the kids are loving it, meaning brands are buying into Snapchat more than ever. After waves of criticism for notoriously non-targeted (yet expensive!) ads, Snapchat has focused on tightening their offerings over the past few months. In this update, they’ve partnered with Oracle Data Cloud to get more advertising intelligence for marketers. The partnership will give Snapchat access to offline sales data such as loyalty card stats so they can track past purchase behaviour to match users with relevant ads. Snaps for them!

Snapchat offering sequenced publishing of multiple video ads
On that note, Snapchat is also encouraging advertisers to run consecutive video ads with different creative within its Discover section. This means that one 30-second advert could potentially be cut into three and fed out sequentially. Snapchat can also publish the first video and then re-target subsequent films to people who watched it to maximise engagement.

Instagram Live Stories officially roll out in the UK and elsewhere
People in the UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada and Japan can now join US Instagram users and live stream their antics on Instagram Stories. Unlike Facebook Live, the video will be wiped from the platform as soon as the transmission finishes. Bad news for brands, who would likely want their content to live on after. Good news for my US friend who went live drunk twerking to all of his followers over the weekend. There’s no word when the update will hit Aus, but I suggest you start practicing your embarrassing antics for your own big debut.


Vine is dead. Long live Twitter looping videos
Now that Vine has officially been given the chop, Twitter has announced it will loop all videos that are 6.5 seconds or less to fill the hole left. Here’s an example involving what looks like, IMO, too much salt.

Twitter phasing out ‘buy’ button
Just as brands have started using instant messenger chatbots to step into e-commerce, Twitter has decided to wind down its ‘Buy’ button along with its related retail partnerships. The platform seems to have its priorities in check, too, as it will continue to offer its ‘Donate’ button to give to charitable causes and other nonprofits. Round of applause for agood cause.

Twitter kills off lead generation campaigns
Chatbots may have claimed their first scalp – Twitter has also called time on lead generation campaign ads, which were used for direct response campaigns. Marketing Dive believes that with instant messenger bots growing so quickly, Twitter’s direct response ads look cumbersome and old fashioned in comparison. The platform said it wants to focus on ‘building and improving other performance offerings.’

LinkedIn unveils new look
Look out, jobseekers: LinkedIn has launched its largest desktop redesign in the platform’s history. The changes include streamlined navigation, ‘smarter messaging’ including creepy-sounding suggested icebreakers, improved search and greater insight into who’s viewing your content.



Google+ launches new comment, image and event features
Been a while since we’ve seen Google+ make headlines. In a blog post, Google+ has announced several key new features, all suggested by users and designed to make the platform more user friendly. Users will now be able to hide ‘low quality’ comments, enjoy improved image functionality and play around with a new events function. The company said it was always keen for feedback on the platform, so if you have a brilliant idea, use the ‘send feedback’ option within the app and you could see it come to life.