Facebook make it a lil bit easier to live stream your video chat
If a tech company is nailing it, you can bet cash money that Facebook are working on a way to replicate the feature in their ecosystem. During The Great Lockdown, Zoom has become ubiquitous with video calling, so naturally Facebook are chasing that audien$e. 

In late April Facebook launched Messenger Rooms, a VC platform positioned as a competitor to Houseparty.  This week, Facebook have connected Rooms to their existing Live offering, which means users can broadcast their video chats to groups, brand page feeds or personal news feeds. 

For social marketers, the output is a simplified way to host a video chat and amplify it organically within the Facebook ecosystem. Let’s do this! 

Don’t make ads, make (gamified) TikToks, says TikTok
Continuing the theme of platforms borrowing the catchiest bits of other platforms, TikTok have released a suite of customisable AR templates  they’re calling ‘Gamified Branded Effects’ for advertisers to use on the platform. The games prompt people to use facial expressions, body postures or other motions to interact with branded elements, like juggling a ball on their eyebrows and matching poses to catch a beat. Cute! 

Facebook Messenger knows you’re creepin’
New privacy controls on Facebook Messenger let iOS users lock their chats with Face or Touch ID. I’m on a Samsung, obvs, but if you were to peer into my messenger inbox, you’d mostly see PayPal receipts and the most inane smalltalk imaginable. You’re welcome to it. 

Pinterest launches the Make a Statement Mask challenge 
Pinterest has teamed up with some of its top creators for the Make a Statement Mask challenge, aimed at encouraging Pinners to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic by turning them into vehicles of self-expression. Several creators have now designed one-of-a-kind masks, which are featured on Pinterest’s Today tab, along with instructions on how to create your own. 

It’s a great idea! Check out Mask Class, which we created with our mate, illustrator Sha’an D’Anthes, to make mask making fun and accessible for parents on the home school treadmill.

It’s a tough time to be a Karen
The internet is absolutely buzzing with anti-Karen sentiment. We had a notable incident on the weekend with ‘Bunnings Karen’ going viral after refusing to wear a mask. We rolled our eyes as women argued that to be called a Karen was a misogynist slur, and #notallkarens trended on Twitter.

This week, Dominos have brought some positivity to that #KarenLife, and are rewarding ‘mask wearing Karens’ with free pizza. Yeah dawg. I want to speak to the manager, in a GOOD WAY. 

Tourism New Zealand launch campaign aimed squarely at the kids
We get it New Zealand, you’ve got a sick prime minister and a healthy population. Whatever, mate. Their latest campaign uses Twitch influencer Loserfruit to share ‘the world’s first gameplay walkthrough of the real world’, that’s peppered with the warmth and personality we’ve come to expect from everything Aotearoa. 

Have you seen the July 2020 Global Digital Statshot?
It’s huge. Obviously it’s been an #unprecedented quarter for digital and social media. We’ve got fresh data on platforms and people across the globe. Get the report here, and impress your colleagues and loved ones when you drop the latest digital stats casually into conversation.

Do you need a sweetener after all that news? 
Welcome to animal corner! Did you know that ducks bloody love peas? Now you do, thanks to the hottest animal news from Twitter today. Unrelated, I follow this Instagram account about fat ducks. Could ducks be the next big thing on the net? God, I hope so. 

This edition of the Wednesday Wrap-Up was crafted with love and care by Zoh Dowling, with additional reporting by Ryan Dubras.