We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #351

Mashup
laura.muldoon
Facebook smashes Q1 as it heads towards 2 billion total users





Facebook has had a very strong first quarter, reaching $8.03 billion in revenue from 1.94 billion users (up from 1.86 billion last quarter). It’s being predicted that it will hit 2 billion users in Q2. In Q3 I’m sure it’ll will have achieved world peace.

Facebook debuts a Twitter-like ‘Latest Conversations’ feature

Facebook has unveiled a new feature which attempts to get people involved in conversations beyond those of their friends and family. ‘Latest Conversations’ will now show up in your search results and showcase recent public posts about timely topics which everyone’s talking about and that you’re interested in. The conversations will live update and also a counter shows how many people are actually talking about it at that very moment.

You can now ‘react’ to comments on Facebook

Users on Facebook will now be able to react to not just statuses but also the comments beneath them with reactions such as love, haha, wow, sad and angry.

Facebook starts in-app QR code discount test for in-store purchases

As Facebook ceaselessly chases the holy grail – proving it drives in-store purchasing, it is now testing offering users QR codes via a Rewards section on the app which allow discounts in REAL LIFE (remember that old thing?) stores.

Facebook Ads Manager now more compatible with excel
Facebook has now released Facebook Ads Manager For Excel, which apparently makes things much easier when it comes to exporting reports involving multiple Facebook accounts. To all my paid media managers out there can I get a “HELLS YEAH”!?

Facebook is rolling out Instant Games for all its users

An announcement has been made that all Facebook users will be able to play Instant Games on Messenger and that new rich gameplay is being rolled out as discussed at F8. Rich gameplay involves things like ‘turn-based’ games and woven in leaderboards. Zynga’s Words With Friends is one of the first to join the roster, so make some time in your busy schedule (the time you spend crying and eating after work) to waste playing that!

Snapchat launches self-serve ad manager
Not wanting to miss out on the money of smaller businesses, Snapchat has is planning to launch a new self-serve ad manager in June to everyone in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Australia and more. At the moment it’s still being tested with 20 businesses. It’s a bit like a buffet, but instead of sausage rolls, it’s ads and instead of feeling full afterwards, you feel like a bit of your soul has died. Anyhoo! Before now, if you wanted to buy an ad on Snapchat, you had to use their sales team or a third-party ad platform which would charge a fee.

Snapchat launches Bundesliga football lenses in Germany

Super cool! We are making a Snapchatten lens Fussball Party! That’s right, Snapchat are grabbing the attentions of the Germans via something they love: football. Eight custom lenses have been created for the top football clubs competing in German’s top football league, the Bundesliga. This may be a smart move from the company which is fast becoming a daily habit among Germans, with everyday use more than tripling since 2016.

Take a peek at YouTube’s new look

YouTube’s got a brand new bag and you can get a sneak peak here. One element of the new design is that it will include a dark theme to reduce glare while people are watching YouTube vids late into the night.

YouTube to add 40 original programs
Sprinting after that traditional television ad cash, YouTube has announced it will be launching 40 original programs made exclusively for the platform. Half a dozen of the shows will be supported by brand sponsorship, with Johnson & Johnson being one of the first brands to be named. They are partnering on a talent competition called Best Cover Ever. 30 others will be on YouTube Red, the subscription side of the platform and created by influencers.

May the forced marketing be with you
May 4th aka Star War’s Day brought some real form poopers out to play by way of planned reactive content. Theme seems to be: very poorly photoshopped floating objects and regret. Take a look, if you dare.