Tuesday Tune-Up #246

News
michele.danno
There’s a small Twitter army taking to Facebook daily to shut down secret gun sales groups

Since the horror of the Orlando shooting in June, a small group of Twitter users have taken to Facebook in an attempt to reduce the private sale of guns online. These sales, which are banned by Facebook, are often discovered in private groups or coded posts that advertise the sale of t-shirts, pens and the like, only revealing the actual sale items in the images attached.

According to Mashable, the users report hundreds of accounts weekly and are compiling them under the hashtag #ReportGate.

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Let’s hope this is one trend we don’t have to see continue.

ROI is the biggest social headache for marketers

What’s our biggest work challenge? Where do we begin!? Marketers in the U.S. revealed that return on investment is their number one work challenge, ahead of managing budgets, aligning social strategy with business goals and keeping ahead of their competitors. Additionally, they said that they feel most comfortable using Facebook when it comes to ROI. Snapchat might have all the best lenses, but only 2.1% of marketers surveyed said it offered the best bang for their buck, compared to a whopping 95.8% for Facebook.

Facebook will now offer Instant Articles within Messenger

Facebook is integrating its Instant Articles technology into its Messenger app, meaning you don’t need to open a browser to quickly read breaking news. According to the network, stories will now load 10x faster than before, and you can tell which posts are Instant by looking for a little lightning bolt at the top right of embedded links.

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Messager app LINE on the rise

LINE, the Japanese messager app, raised more than $1 billion in what turned out to be the biggest tech IPO so far this year. For the uninitiated, LINE is similar to services like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger and offers virtual stickers, animated emojis, and games. Users can also order taxis, make mobile payments, find discount vouchers, and stream music. It has 218m users already, mainly in Asia, and the channel’s reps have indicated that the listing was intended to raise funds for global expansion. Watch out, WhatsApp.

Pokémon GO becomes the most viral mobile app of all time

Has your significant other suggested you ‘take a walk’ this weekend, only to spend the entire time hunting monsters on his phone? You’re not alone. Pokémon GO is officially taking over the world. It has already smashed Facebook’s engagement figures, Twitter’s daily users and Tinder’s download rates. Brands from Waterstone’s to Amazon have been jumping on the Pokéwagon with social media stunts popping up faster than you can say Abomasnow. Yelp has gotten in on the action, launching a Pokéstop filter to help hunters ‘run errands and catch that Eevee you’ve been eyeing’. What’s more, Pokémon GO developer Niantic has already hinted that sponsored locations could be with us very soon. Stay tuned, Pokémonsters! 

Prefer cars to Pokémon? You can catch them all, too

Mercedes Benz, parent company of the Smart Car, is encouraging people to snap Smart Cars when they are out and about – a bit like Pokémon Go but a lot less fun. Mark Aikman, general manager of marketing services for MBUSA, said:

“For years, #smartspotting has been a way for consumers to share the Smart Cars they see on the road every day on social media. By leveraging the Pokémon Go phenomenon, the brand is able to take #smartspotting one step further with this treasure hunt-style activation on Snapchat”.

If you say so, Mark.

Warner Bros. in trouble for not declaring influencer payments

Tread carefully, brand owners. Warner Bros. has been hauled over the coals for the way it managed influencers in the U.S. launch of its Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor game. The company only specified that influencers needed to declare payment in the YouTube descriptions, which are not always seen, and it also insisted influencers could only be positive in tone in their films. The move backfired, and Warner Bros. is now suffering the consequences from the Federal Trade Commission. Good learnings for the rest of us as we engage influencers!

Snapchat working on new image-recognition advertising tech

In the latest development from the Snap’iverse, the channel seems to be developing new advertising options based on real-world objects users record in their snaps. According to this patent application (published last week), Snapchat is seeking to use image recognition to serve users filters, coupons and adverts.

For example, Snapchat explained that you could be strolling along the streets of Manhattan, snap a photo of the Empire State Building, and be served a King Kong filter on your screen. Think: happy hour vouchers just after your #TGIF snap story. Clearly, there is a lot of room for creativity here. Advertisers will need to bid on the rights to certain objects. Once they have staked their claim, they will be free to add the filter/coupon/game/offer of their liking.

…watch this space!

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Twitter signs deal with Bloomberg to livestream financial news

Meanwhile, Twitter has teamed up with Bloomberg Media to live stream three Bloomberg shows as well as the network’s market coverage through the platform. The shows included in the agreement are “Bloomberg West”, which broadcasts technology news, “What’d You Miss?”, which delivers global financial news at the close of the U.S. trading day, and “With All Due Respect”, which gives political analysis.