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In the News

Hot Off the Press

• COVID-19’s Impact on B2B Martech Budgets
  • Most B2B marketers say the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on their firm’s marketing technology budget, according to recent research from Demand Spring. 36% of respondents stated they experienced cuts to their marketing technology budget, and 44% of marketers said they expect technology budgets to return to normal in 2021.
• Google Short Videos Carousel In Search Results
  • Google is testing a new type of carousel section within mobile search results called “short videos”, which will expand on their existing video carousel search results.
• Instagram Gives Users New Control Over Personalized Ads Using Third-Party Data
  • Instagram is rolling out a new control that lets users opt out of personalized ads from its advertising partners. Users will see a one-time notification inside the app that prompts them to keep or change their settings.
    
• Instagram Tests a New Way for Users to React to Stories Without Sending a DM
  • Instagram is testing out a new option that will let users to react to Instagram Stories on the frame of a story, instead of by DM. Stories Reactions are also set to get new animations with the update.
• Facebook’s Snapchat-like ‘Vanish Mode’ feature arrives on Messenger and Instagram
  • Facebook announced its new feature for disappearing messaging, Vanish Mode. It will be included on Messenger and Instagram. The feature allows users to set chats to automatically delete after the message is seen and the chat is closed. Facebook says the mode will be opt-in only, and Messenger and Instagram will notify you when a screenshot of a chat is taken while the mode is enabled.
• People are hating on the new Instagram update, which moved notifications and added a major Reels feature
  • Instagram has started rolling out a new update that changes the app’s layout, and it is not getting a lot of love. The new timeline layout moves the notifications tab and the “new post” creation function to the upper-right corner, where direct messages are located. Shortcuts to Instagram Reels and Instagram Shopping now take the priority spot at the bottom of the screen.
• Adobe is adding its ‘content authenticity’ tool to the latest Photoshop beta
  • Adobe will let some Adobe Creative Cloud customers try a tool that builds trustworthy attribution directly into a picture. As part of a bigger software update, Adobe is moving forward with the Content Authenticity Initiative, a system it proposed last year. The tool adds an extra panel to Photoshop, and using it attaches metadata that’s supported by Adobe-owned art sharing site Behance.

Creativity

Out of the Box

• Twitter launches carousel ads to drive web traffic, app installs
  • Twitter released a carousel ad format that lets mobile users swipe horizontally to open an app or website. Marketers can use up to six images or videos in their carousel format, giving mobile marketers more flexibility with their ad creative by letting them tell a more complete brand story in several images or videos. while website carousel ads, Twitter found the carousel format boosted the average clickthrough rate (CTR) about 15% in testing.
• Twitter’s disappearing tweets, called Fleets, are now available for everyone
  • Twitter announced a global launch of “Fleets,” the ephemeral tweeting feature it first announced earlier this year and tested in various markets around the globe. Mobile Twitter users will have access to the disappearing messaging feature, which will sit right at the top of the timeline in a row of Stories-like bubbles. Twitter hopes the new feature will help reduce the pressure around tweeting by letting users express more casual thoughts and feelings while also concerning themselves less with saying something profound or racking up likes and retweets. Fleets starts rolling out today on Android and iOS and should be available for everyone in the coming days, the company says.
• Facebook Tests New Options to Add Motion Effects to Still Images in Feed
  • Facebook is testing new visual effects options that adds simulated, video-like movement to still pictures. The logic is that users are more likely to engage with moving content, like video, as opposed to still images. Facebook is looking to provide more engaging tools to maximize user interest and to keep everyone scrolling and posting.
• Dropbox and The Infatuation Want to Elevate the Work-From-Home Lunch
  • The National Bureau of Economic Research in August reported that the average workday has extended by 48.5 minutes per day from pre-pandemic times, with 2020 remote work culture providing less time for mental health breaks. To help remote workers in San Francisco, New York and Chicago prioritize their lunch breaks, Dropbox and The Infatuation have created The Lunch Dropbox, a weeklong delivery program with the goal of reclaiming personal time and inspiring better work. Each restaurant will have 300 lunches packed in branded, reusable tin lunchboxes available to purchase throughout the week.

The National Bureau of Economic Research in August reported that the average workday has extended by 48.5 minutes per day from pre-pandemic times, with 2020 remote work culture providing less time for mental health breaks.

• Gucci’s Christmas ad longs for the good old days of office parties
  • With this year’s Christmas parties set to take place via the medium of Zoom, Gucci has travelled back in time to celebrate the joys of the IRL office do. The ad, which is set to the sounds of Yazoo’s Only You, follows a group of Gucci-clad workers as they get ready for the end-of-year celebrations – hanging decorations, carrying in makeshift trees and installing disco lights. The office party isn’t the most obviously glamorous scenario for a luxury fashion brand, but Gucci’s Christmas ad has managed to – ironically of course – tap into some very present nostalgia for the good old days.

Tricks of the Trade 

Tips and Tricks

• The Framework for Consistently Creating Great Ideas
  • Whenever we’re searching for a creative answer to a business problem, we begin with a simple rubric: Right Ideas > Good Ideas. Every client engagement is different. Every problem has its own peculiarities. But that discussion is about tuning the dials on the quality of the idea, so it works for the client and the client’s audience. Not just for us.
    
• What is Brand Photography and Why is it Important?
  • Branding is more than just a logo, colors and fonts. A visual identity is made up of a lot of different elements, including photography. Brand photography is a suite of professional images that represent a business visually, and fit with the visual identity through color, tone, props, sets and more. These can include photos the team, products, process, space and other things that make your business unique. Brand photography makes your brand more relatable and human and this leads to increased engagement. Learn more about how to get started with brand photography.
• Industry Report: The Embrace of Immersive Content
  • As demand for exceptional digital content grows, this report from Ceros explores what separates the companies that embrace a strategy of visually engaging material from the ones that do not. This report assesses the current state of immersive content and examines how creativity, risk, and a deep appreciation for design pave the way for truly engaging digital experiences.
• The 4 Key Differences Between Thought Leadership and Content Marketing
  • Content marketing is the buzz word of the moment, especially as reaching and communicating with customers is almost exclusively being done digitally, so it is even more important to understand the difference between thought leadership (quality of thinking at the top of the sales funnel) and content marketing (measured by value and online engagement).
• How to Optimize Google My Business: Tips for B2B Brands
  • Google My Business is an essential tool that every business, even B2B businesses, should be using in 2020. Having an up-to-date Google My Business profile ensures that your customers can find you, get ahold of you, read reviews from other customers and more. With Google My Business (GMB), customers search for the average business over 1,000 times each month, with only 16% direct searches and the remaining 84% from discovery searches, according to a survey done by Bright Local.

With Google My Business (GMB), customers search for the average business over 1,000 times each month, with only 16% direct searches and the remaining 84% from discovery searches.

• Motion in Marketing – How to Make the Most of Motion Graphics
  • The world looks a lot different today than it did at the start of 2020, and the content landscape is no exception. Now more than ever, we need to be nimble when planning our content strategy. Keeping costs low, while still finding innovative ways to connect to buyers on an emotional level is a huge part of that strategy. Motion graphics are a proven way to drive engagement and connect with audiences, all while preserving our bottom line. 54% of consumers want to see more video content from the brands or businesses they support, and meeting that demand requires creative thinking.

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