Mobile messaging apps used by 1.4 billion worldwide
eMarketer has released its first ever worldwide forecast for mobile messaging apps and the number of users is rapidly growing. More than 1.4 billion consumers will use mobile messaging apps this year according to the report – that’s a massive 31.6% increase on last year. eMarketer’s money is on the trend continuing; it predicts that by 2018, the number of chat app users worldwide will reach 2 billion – that’s 80% of smartphone users… which is heaps.
OMG! One Direction in emoji form
We’ve all tweeted something and thought ‘This could’ve been better conveyed with a Harry Styles emoji’, right? Well now you can tweet the face of any of the 1D dreamboats with a simple hashtag. Take your pick from the hashtags below. One of which may not be quite as it seems…
Rainbow vomit has a price
Have you ever dreamt of having something that money can’t buy? Something, for example, such as magical rainbow vomit? Well your dreams might just be coming true as rainbow chunder is now for sale and it could be yours for the princely sum of $1.49. While this sales pitch might sound convincing, anyone who has been on Snapchat in the last month or so will know that the almighty Snapchat rainbow vomit lens was once free. A free distraction for students (and We Are Social employees) everywhere. A free costume inspiration for Halloween parties. A free gift to the world. But sadly the best things in life are no longer free and Snapchat has opened up the Lens Store for all to try (and buy).
Tumblr gets instant messaging
Tumblr has granted its users the most requested feature to date – instant messaging. Before this, the only way they could communicate was reblogging with comments or by using Fan Mail and that wasn’t the most popular. Now, they’ve opted for a viral launch with only 1,500 people getting access for now but if they message you, you’ll then have it. Keep an eye out for that message!
Pinterest introduces visual search tool
While we all wish our homes looked like a Pinterest board, the reality is often quite different. To help you get a little bit closer to achieving that dream, Pinterest has introduced a search tool which means users can highlight something within a pin and get taken to that exact product. So highlight away and start hoping that everything is affordable.
Facebook’s first virtual reality ads revealed
Last week we talked about virtual reality being kind of a big deal and oh how we were right. Facebook has now entered the fold big time, with its first virtual reality-style video ads. This follows on from the roll out of its video creation tool in September, where brands could post 360-degree clips organically to their pages. In order to attract more brands to use the 360 vids (and therefore, make more $$$), Facebook has created a dedicated site to help get the low-down on creating 360-degree videos. You can see all of the ads from the brands who used the new format here, including Mondelez’s Ritz with a wonderful 360-degree holiday party and a tour of the “the most magical place on Earth” from Walt Disney World.
