We Are Social Asia Tuesday TuneUp #133
Alibaba launches new social network
China’s biggest e-commerce company, Alibaba, has launched an Instagram-type social network where users can tag brands that appear in photos. Users can also follow brands and friends, and share their photos on other social networks like Sina Weibo. The social network, called Fun, is built into Alibaba’s Tmall shopping app and will be available in an update for iOS and Android devices.
Line launches shopping app in Thailand, confirms IPO application
Line seems to be moving away from being just a messaging app, with a new app called Line Shop appearing in Thailand. The standalone app offers a brand-to-consumer experience, connecting users to brick and mortar retailers as well as online retailers. Users can also follow brands and set up chat rooms and direct conversations using their Line accounts. The company has also confirmed that it has applied for IPO in Tokyo, which could value the company at $10 billion.
Amazon expands Twitter shopping initiative to India
The #AmazonCart shopping initiative is now available in India. The initiative which allows users to order items via Twitter, requires users to connect their Twitter account and their Amazon account. They would then be able to add items to their Amazon cart by replying to any tweet with an Amazon product link using the hashtag #AmazonCart. Amazon previously launched this initiative in the UK and US in May.
Add it now. Buy it later. Introducing #AmazonCart – give it a try! https://t.co/CRQ0G2M3Vn
— Amazon.in (@amazonIN) July 15, 2014
Facebook ad cost-per-views increase
Two Q2 reports from Facebook’s Strategic Preferred Marketing Developers were released last week. Nanigans noted an increase of 47% in click-through-rates since Q1, or 146% year-on-year, coupled with a 57% quarter-on-quarter increase on the cost-per-thousand-views (218% year-on-year). Kenshoo, meanwhile, reported a 21% increase in ad spend for the quarter (51% year-on-year).
Facebook regains number one spot for social logins
After six straight quarters of falling behind, Facebook is now the number one site for social logins, according to tech company Janrain. Aided by its new anonymous login feature, Facebook regained first place with 44%, followed by Google with 37%.
Facebook is trying out a ‘buy’ button
Facebook is testing a ‘buy’ button on certain ads and page product posts from a limited number of small/medium-sized businesses in the US, which allows users to purchase goods directly through a Facebook post. It’s not yet confirmed if/when it will be generally released, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled.
Facebook creates ‘Save’
Facebook has added a new feature to its web and mobile versions, named ‘Save’, which allows users to save items, such as links, places, movies, TV and music, from Facebook to be explored later. It’s also possible to set reminders about content, all of which will remain private, unless you choose to save it.
Facebook launches ‘Mentions’ app
Facebook has a new app, designed specifically for public figures: Mentions. It’s available on the US app store for verified pages only, and looks to make mobile page management easier, allowing users to see the conversation about their page, post updates or host Q&As, join popular conversations and get notifications about any posts from influencers.
Twitter buys CardSpring
Twitter has purchased CardSpring, looking to enable “in-the-moment commerce experiences”. CardSpring is a tool that allows developers to create various features that work with credit card payments. For example, in future a user may be able to claim a discount from a Twitter account by entering his or her credit card details; when that user makes a purchase from that vendor at a later point using that same card, the discount will be automatically applied.
Twitter planning new research tool
In the coming weeks, Twitter will release a new research tool for brands, which it hopes will display the buzz that can be created around everyday moments. Brands can select keywords relating to themselves and analyse conversations around those terms in a weeklong period. The data will be presented in a set of different visualisations – Twitter hopes that these will make it sufficiently easy to use. It is currently unclear whether the new tool will be released globally or in the UK only.
LinkedIn launches Connected, acquires Newsle
LinkedIn has created a new app for the iPhone, named ‘Connected’. It attempts to encourage interaction on the network, with a series of social features, for example offering prompts to get in touch with your connections on their birthdays, or when they change jobs. It has also acquired Newsle, the machine-learning startup that scans the web for news stories and articles that mention specific individuals.
Google drops ‘real name’ rule
Google will allow users to use whatever name they choose on Google+ and linked YouTube comments, after three years of insisting that everybody on the platform be known by their real name. An official statement has said that there are now “no more restrictions on what name you can use”.
Snapchat adds Geofilters
Snapchat has announced the launch of ‘Geofilters’, a set of filters that are only enabled when a user is in a certain city or location. For example, a user gains access to the below filter only when they’re at Disneyland.
The below video displays how Geofilters look and work in more detail.
The feature may be of interest to brands, but at the moment it’s up for debate just how useful it is. We Are Social’s own Grace Gordon told MediaPost:
For brands, while it’s still a fairly shallow way to engage with the program … the opportunity to position a logo on snaps taking place at a retail or event location is of course an attractive prospect
Pinterest adds related Category pages
Pinterest is adding a selection of specialised interests to each Category page, allowing users to more easily browse their key interests. Below, for example, you can see a variety of activities, each related to ‘Hiking’.
Who won the social World Cup?
The World Cup may seem like a distant memory, but there’s still plenty of information coming out around social media. First of all, there’s this infographic, displaying how the World Cup was the biggest event in Facebook history.
It was huge on Tumblr, too; the event led to 662,300 posts (of which 55,200 referred to Brazil vs. Germany) and 17.8m notes.
Across social media in general, Lionel Messi was the most talked-about player (363,000 mentions in total), followed by Neymar (316,000). We Are Social’s work for adidas proved hugely successful, too, according to Hootsuite’s analytics tool UberVu – the brand was mentioned 2.1m times throughout the tournament, the joint-most of any World Cup partner, alongside Sony. Indeed, Adobe found that the sports brand received71% more tournament-related social media buzz than main rival, Nike. Research by SocialBakers found that adidas saw the largest increase in Twitter followers of any partner brand, followed by Sony and Coca-Cola. Sysomos found that the sports brand received 1.59m total brand mentions on Twitter, of which 917,000 used the #allin hashtag.
Another successful partner brand was Hyundai, which used a mixture of paid and free posts on Tumblr to encourage people to share football images using #becausefutbol. Tumblr users who viewed and shared a #becausefutbol post sponsored by the brand were 31% more likely to recognise the brand as a sponsor, a figure that jumped to 176% for unpaid posts.
Heineken creates @wherenext
Heineken has created a Twitter service, named @wherenext, which aims to help people discover the ‘secrets’ of their cities by offering suggestions based on location. Interestingly, the brand name is not included anywhere – Heineken hopes this will provide increased credibility.
GE launches on Snapchat for moon landing anniversary
General Electronic posted its first ever Snapchat messages last week, each on a space-travel theme. It turned out that these were teasers for a new, limited edition shoe, called ‘The Missions’, which celebrates the 65th anniversary of the first ever manned moon landing.
Cadbury launches Facebook-powered vending machine
Confectionery brand, Cadbury, has created a new type of vending machine in Australia, which dispenses chocolate based on Facebook likes. ‘The Joy Generator’ analyses likes and interests on the network, before automatically assigning a chocolate based on personality type.
Johnson’s Baby launches ‘cake smash’
Johnson’s Baby has created a campaign around Prince George’s first birthday, which takes place tomorrow (July 22nd). Dubbed #Babycakesmash, the brand will encourage Instagram users to share pictures of their babies’ first birthday cakes.
We Are Social and Tullamore Dew’s ‘Parting Glass’
We Are Social and Tullamore Dew have created a campaign around the whiskey brand’s ‘Parting Glass’ message. To enter, users must submit a ‘Parting Glass’ photo via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, for the chance to win a trip to the company’s distillery in Ireland.
The Post Office launches #LoveSundays
The British Post Office is extending its opening hours to include Sundays, and has created a set of Vines as promotion. These all celebrate typical Sunday activities, such as staying in your pyjamas or enjoying a cuppa and a crossword.
We’ve got branches open on Sundays. Pyjamas welcome. https://t.co/2s3NiIT7P4 #LoveSundays
— Post Office (@PostOffice) July 20, 2014
Barbour illustrates summer stories
Fashion brand, Barbour, is asking Twitter, Facebook and Instagram users to share their summer stories using #BarbourSummer. A set of winners will be selected to have their tales illustrated and used as part of an animated film.
Marc Jacobs finds models on Instagram
Another story from the world of fashion – Marc Jacobs has sourced the models for its latest campaign through an Instagram competition, using the hashtag #CastMeMarc. The nine winners were selected from 35,000 entries.
MTV announces VMA nominees on Snapchat
Last year, MTV announced the nominees for its Video Music Awards via Vine and Instagram videos. This year, they were revealed on Snapchat before anywhere else, showing the extent to which the platform has risen as a tool for brands.
Shakira passes 100 million Facebook fans
More celeb news: Shakira has become the first celebrity to reach 100 million Facebook likes. In doing so, she’s become the most-liked celebrity on the network, ahead of Eminem and Rihanna, who have 91.9 million and 89 million fans respectively.