We Are Social Asia Tuesday Tuneup #143

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Messaging app Line to launch a personal finance tracking service
Japanese messaging app, Line, is reportedly launching a new service that would help their users track their personal finances by spring 2015. Users will be able to add their bank’s official account to the friend list and verify a bank account. They will then receive notices from their bank when money is deposited or withdrawn. The service will only be available in Japan when it launches.

Daum and Kakao merge, putting them head-to-head with Naver-Line
Following an initial announcement back in May, two of Korean’s strongest players in the mobile space, Daum Communications and Kakao, have completed their merger. The new entity is valued at close to 10 trillion won (SGD 12 billion). The newly merged firm, called Daum Kakao, will work towards a vision where they “Connect Everything”.

Facebook click-through rate has increased
Facebook reach is down (boo!) but click-through rate is up (yay!). A study of 8,000 brand pages from August 2013 to August 2014 has found that, while fan reach dropped by 55% in the period, the click-through rate on links in posts increased by 48%. Still, a higher click-thru from fewer fans isn’t necessarily an increase in real terms, so let’s not all get overexcited. It is Monday, after all.

Facebook releases like button for mobile developers
Facebook has announced the introduction of a mobile ‘like’ button, which can be added to apps by all Android and iOS developers.

Screen Shot 2014-10-06 at 10.41.31

Facebook planning moves into healthcare
Facebook is taking steps into the world of healthcare, according to Reuters. The plans are still in development, but reported moves include “support communities” and “preventative care” apps. Seems it’s only a matter of time until we start seeing press releases for an “MRI scanner with autoshare functionality”.

LinkedIn revamps Pulse
LinkedIn has revamped its news engine, Pulse, with what it’s calling a “redesigned reading experience”. This means a change of font and layout, personalised suggested content and a more prominent navigation feature. Beat THAT, books!

pulse

Yahoo to invest in Snapchat?
According to the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo is set to invest $20m in Snapchat at a $10bn valuation. CEO Marissa Mayer will be hoping that the money doesn’t disappear as soon as it’s received! Geddit? Because it’s Snapchat. Oh, fine.

Spotify’s #ThatSongWhen
Spotify’s new #ThatSongWhen campaign plays on the significance that certain songs have for people. Any campaign that mentions Cyndi Lauper is alright by me.

Marks & Spencer goes on food adventures with bloggers
British retailer Marks & Spencer has joined forces with bloggers to create ‘adventurous’ food films with its ingredients as the focus. The ‘Adventures in Food’ series features Eat Like a Girl, Hemsley and Hemsley and Deliciously Ella (below).

DHL asks for likes after F1 crash
Tragic accidents are not the time to ask for Facebook likes. As we all know, brands often fall foul of this rule, as DHL did at the weekend. After a crash involving F1 racer Jules Bianchi left him in critical condition, the logistics company posted to its ‘Formula 1 Backstage by DHL page’ saying

Ghastly accident in Japan. Jules Bianchi is fighting for his life. By clicking ‘like’ on this occasion, you’ll be sending Jules your best wishes for a speedy recovery.

The post has now been removed, but one picture is still on the page, along with a fair few angry comments.