We Are Social’s Tune-up #91
News
News
Smartphone usage hits 50% in 6 countries
eMarketer research has found that, in 2012, the percentage of mobile phone users with smartphones hit 50% in the Australia, UK, Norway, Sweden, South Korea and the USA, where the figure of 50.1% amounted to a year-on-year increase of 11 percentage points, up from 39.1% in 2011. Other markets are expected to reach the milestone in 2013, particularly in Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland. The global average figure lags slightly behind at less than one third, not expected to approach 50% until 2017, when a figure of 49.3% has been mooted.
Mobile and social set for biggest increase in digital ad spend
The Association of National Advertisers has surveyed 20 major US brands about their digital ad spends, finding that mobile and social are set for the biggest increases. For mobile, 65% plan to increase their budget and 25% keep it the same, with only 10% intended to reduce. For social, 55% are planning to increase their budget, whilst not a single brand had plans to take money away.
Facebook introduces verified pages
As is already the case on Twitter, Facebook has rolled out verified pages for brands, celebrities and public figures. Once an account has been verified, a small blue tick will appear next to the name on their profile and in searches, allowing Facebook users to recognise the true social presence of their favourite brands and celebrities. So far, the network is working on applying the process to those pages with the largest audiences; currently, it is not possible to request verification.
Twitter planning FBX-style ad retargeting exchange
Twitter is rumoured to be planning an ‘ad retargeting exchange’, much like Facebook’s FBX, which would allow brands to retarget people who have visited their website with adverts on Twitter. This could prove lucrative for the network, especially considering FBX’s success. It is worth noting that, as yet, the changes are unconfirmed and Twitter has made no statement about them.
Tumblr to introduce in-steam desktop ads
Just a week after its acquisition by Yahoo, Tumblr has announced plans to roll out in-stream desktop ads next month. The plans would be expected to produce a great increase in Tumblr’s ad revenue from last year’s $13 million, especially with the assistance of Yahoo’s 2,500 strong sales team, compared with the pre-acquisition department of 25. However, one of the greatest fears after the $1.1bn deal that saw Yahoo purchase the network was that of over-commercialisation; it will be interesting to see how users respond to the changes.
We Are Social create social element of adidas’ ‘Nitrocharge’ launch
adidas has worked with a number of agencies including We Are Social London to produce an integrated campaign surrounding the launch of its new ‘Nitrocharge’ football boot. The product, aimed at the tireless, fearless ‘Engine’ of a team, is being promoted with the likes of TV ad, mobile game and a social campaign that uses the hashtag #TheEngine to drive interest and tease the boot, followed by a series of local ‘Power Pitch’ competitions to find the ultimate Engine, culminating in a global final held in Brazil, the host country of the 2014 World Cup.
Etihad use LinkedIn to create business-focussed mapping tool
The national airline of United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways, has used LinkedIn to create a mapping tool aimed at increasing the efficiency of business trips. The tool allows business travellers to search their LinkedIn connections by location; these are then displayed on a map, displaying the geographical proximity of the user’s connections at various points on their trip. Detailed search functionality based on area, industry and importance allows contacts to be filtered for increased relevance. Peter Baumgartner, CCO of Etihad, said:
This tool is particularly useful for our guests traveling for business. Ahead of a business trip, the guest can use this tool to see not only his or her immediate contacts in the region, but also second-degree contacts. This fosters more effective networking and greater opportunity to create connections across international boundaries.
Insta-Model campaign to promote Sky Living Series
Sky Living has produced an Instagram campaign called ‘Insta-Model’ to promote the latest series of Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model. Three hashtag-led competitions, dubbed #Pout, #Fierce and #Selfie, will see fans upload photos of themselves in the hope of winning a VIP trip to London, plus the chance to feature in the show’s credits. The winners of each preliminary round will be judged by Dannii Minogue, Elle Macpherson (both judges on the show) and Sky Living respectively, with the overall victor chosen by fans on Twitter.
The consequences of hate-speech on Facebook
As we reported in last week’s Tuesday Tweakup, a great deal of public furore has occurred as a result of Facebook’s failure to adequately monitor content that promoted violence towards women, especially after a number of brands pulled targeted adverts that had appeared alongside it. Facebook has been forced to admit that its hate-speech monitoring has failed, “particularly around issues of gender-based hate”, noting that it plans to crack down harder on such messaging in future. The issue for brands remains the fact that, as Facebook’s ads are targeted by user and not by content, it is impossible to know where on the site your ads will appear. We Are Social’s Robin Grant discussed the problem with Marketing Magazine, pointing out that users will automatically make the connection between the page they are on and the adverts on the page.
They see ads next to content and they make that connection.
As such, brands will have to be vigilant as long as such content remains on the network. Yes, it’s up to Facebook to ensure that inappropriate content is dealt with quickly and adequately, but brands must also have measures in place for when things slip through the net. However, brands can’t possibly respond to the demands of every pressure group, as Robin says:
Brands cannot afford to have their day to day business held hostage by campaigners. It is crucial to take a nuanced approach, you can’t simply respond to everything.