During a week that even the Oxford English Dictionary got a reboot; adding in ‘Ransomware’ and other tech-focused words to the canon, we saw updates from all of the major digital players and new entrant, Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams, announcing plans to launch an app to connect creatives.
HEADLINES
- Snap has launched commerce within its platform through the Snap Store
- Instagram introduces an extension to Stories ads, creating a carousel allowing brands to expand on their storytelling while community managers rejoice with a long-awaited scheduling function
- YouTube introduces real-time bidding to attract Super Bowl advertisers in the short term and close the gap between TV and Digital. They also announced their intention to start labelling state-funded ‘broadcasters’
- Facebook bans cryptocurrency ads and gets Twitchy with its new gaming creator pilot programme
- Twitter opens up historic tweets to developers through their API
INSIGHTS
- Facebook user growth slows and time spent on the platform up 14% y-o-y but shares continue to rise
- Apple Music set to surpass Spotify as the number one streaming service in the US but comparing figures is a little like comparing apples and pears
- Digital video ad revenues will double at Facebook and YouTube but UK figures show YouTube may have reached a viewership ceiling
- How AI predicted last year’s Superbowl score and what that means for the betting industry
COOL
- Strava created this awesome global heat map of running, cycling and other sporty pursuits, worthwhile even if they did accidentally give away the location of military bases in the process
- No more excuses on #NationalSickieDay. Find out what illnesses are passing around in your area
- See what one leading company’s vision of AR is, and how you could be using it in the not too distant future (if you are a ship’s gunner or a site foreman)
- Charting the regional nuances of US cuisine using Google data
DEEP READS
- Winners of the 2nd Chatbottle awards, the ChatBot equivalent to the Oscars (but with no actual awards ceremony)
- A tough look at Amazon Prime…and a bit of praise for Google Photos
- A roundup of the common misconceptions executives have about AI
BONUS: OMD USA’s Kerry Perse talks about follower numbers and trust in influencer marketing in this Q&A
