Move over, Artificial Intelligence. Spotify is making Streaming Intelligence a thing to truly understand people through the music they stream. It starts with an innocuous recap of your listening history – see yours here – and ends with your playlists broadcast on billboards and bus stops around Australia. It’s probably time to change the name of my “Beyoncé Boss Bitches” playlist.
In case you’re feeling the slight tinge of déjà vu, yes, this is the revival of Spotify’s “Thanks 2016, It’s Been Weird” campaign. But in true Australian fashion, it’s just appeared in our streets, seven months late.
The arms race continues as Snapchat and Instagram update their Stories
In the red corner, we’ve got Snapchat. They’re coming in as the underdog – with Instagram reporting more daily users despite starting on the scene much later. Snapchat has tried to edge ahead with backdrops, voice-only filters and Paperclip, which allows you to add links to your posts. Anyone up for a bet on when these features will inevitably turn up on Instagram?
In the blue corner, Instagram has made a few updates of their own such as video replies to Stories. All the stickers, filters, text boxes remain because texting was so 00’s. It’s time to test your friendships across Snapstreaks and Instastreaks galore.
Facebook to test publication subscriptions through Instant Articles
It’s already been a tough 2017 for traditional news outlets. They’ve been name called, beat down and left on the sidelines. Oh, I long for the day when the biggest problem was paywalls. So, Facebook is extending a hand of support, rolling out paid-for subscriptions on the platform for publications with paywalls and “freemium content.” Outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Economist will be able to replicate their subscription models through Instant Articles and gain access to all the data on their readership.
Hang in there, news. Facebook has got your back.
GE Healthcare seeds out Instagram documentary one minute at a time
ICYMI – we now live in a world where even a 30-minute documentary can’t retain our full attention. So, how do you tell the incredible story of women bringing healthcare to impoverished communities in India, Africa and South-East Asia? One minute segments.
GE Healthcare is seeding out their documentary, Heroines of Health, in one-minute segments on Instagram. Follow along on their dedicated Instagram channel, @HeroinesofHealthFilm or wait to watch the full film on GE’s Facebook page. One week into launching the campaign, the videos have had more than 250,000 views, 80,000 likes and 400 bookmarks.
