This Week in Social (Week of February 22)
This Week in Social is a weekly digest of some of the biggest stories in social media marketing news. These stories are the show notes for the Brave Ad World Podcast. Each story is discussed at a deeper level on the podcast.
App-Install Ads Coming to Snapchat (Read more at AdWeek)
Snapchat is getting into the very lucrative and very competitive app-install ads game. Google and Facebook are huge in this area, and this news comes at a time where Facebook has been evaluated as the “undisputed leader” in app install ads, according to the AppsFlyer Performance Index.
The move signals that Snapchat is looking to developers to use the platform to sell their apps to users, and with Snapchat’s massive and growing user base, the move makes a lot of sense. Nike+ Training Club, Cookie Jam and Gametime have already run ads on the platform.
One difference between Snapchat and Facebook is in pricing. Snapchat is running a cost-per-view rate, while Facebook charges per install. Although, others have reported that ads may evolve to be sold on a cost-per-install basis. This also comes at a time when Snapchat is laying the groundwork to allow advertisers to link to their own sites through the platform.
App-install ads are a smart way for Snapchat to show advertisers measurable outcomes. But more importantly, this all signals a shift for Snapchat to become a more commerce-friendly platform. Advertisers having the ability to link to their own websites could be a huge move, and would likely encourage advertisers to not just have mobile-friendly landing experiences but even Snapchat-friendly landing experiences.
Snapchat Lets Users Create Their Own Geofilters (Read more at The Next Web)
Snapchat is now letting users create and upload their own geofilters for costs starting at $5. The uploaded filters can cover areas from 20,000 - 5,000,000 square feet. The total cost comes down to a combination of the square footage the filter is available to, the duration it will be available and the location. For example, a geofilter in Manhattan is going to cost more than one in a rural location.
The filters do go through a review process before becoming available, and Snapchat has made a detailed set of submission guidelines.
This is a great and fun opportunity for users to create geogilters for social gatherings like parties and weddings, but this is something that could potentially also extend to brands that want to do something for an out-of-home activation, for example. Brands can apply for geofilters of their own through the Snapchat ad sales team, but some brands that want to be a bit grittier could view this as a potential option.
Google Removing Right Rail Ads for Desktop (Read more at AdAge)
Google has announced that it is going to remove AdWords from the right rail of Google desktop searches, while increasing the number of ads at the top of search results from three to four. What will be in the right rail will be one of three things: nothing, knowledge boxes or Product Listing Ads. Because this will decrease the ads shown, it likely means an increase in costs for advertisers as competition for the remaining inventory increases.
The move seems to be one driven by Google’s desire to bring the mobile and desktop experiences more in line with each other. Mobile doesn’t have a right rail. Plus, it encourages advertisers with less inventory on desktop to allocate additional funds to mobile and increase mobile CPCs.
Facebook Launches Reactions (Read more at WIRED)
After months of testing in Spain and Ireland, Facebook has launched Reactions globally. Reactions expand on Facebook’s ‘like’ button by allowing users to respond with “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad” and “angry.” The new buttons work the same way as the ‘like’ button and are accessible when a user hovers over or holds down on ‘like.'
Reactions are really a response from Facebook for user requests to have a more nuanced way to respond to posts on Facebook that lies somewhere between ‘liking’ and commenting. From a marketing perspective, Reactions have a lot of potential for brands but nothing definitive just yet. For example, this could lead to a decrease in the number of comments but an increase in the number of total interactions.
Facebook also isn’t currently separating Reactions as a data point for brand pages, but it could still lead to valuable insights into what users are not only responding to but how. Finally, it’s not clear how Reactions will factor into Facebook’s News Feed algorithm. At the moment, they do not, but that could change quickly.
News Quick Hits
- Facebook has announced that it has created a Social VR team that will collaborate with the Oculus team to “explore how people can connect and share using today’s VR technology, as well as long-term possibilities as VR evolves into an increasingly important computing platform." (Read more at Venturebeat)
- Facebook has unveiled a new feature that allows users to record 15-second birthday videos for their friends on their birthdays. The feature is available via iOS by going to a birthday friend’s profile and tapping the banner at the top and then hitting record. (Read more at The Verge)
- Foursquare just launched Attribution Powered by Foursquare. The service leverages a panel of 1.3 million Foursquare users who leave location-sharing on all the time along with U.S. Census demographics. From there, marketers can select demographics in specific markets. Foursquare then sets up a test group and a control group. Then Foursquare starts recording information on users’ locations for a specific period of time, and ensures that users in the control group are not shown the same ad as those in the test group. That allows marketers to see the visit rate to retail stores between both groups and evaluate ad effetiveness. The news comes at a time when Foursquare’s future is in question. (Read more at AdWeek)
- Instagram now has more than 200,000 advertisers across 200 different countries. Three-quarters of Instagram’s advertisers are outside the U.S. According to Instagram, 60% of users learn about products and services on Instagram, while 75% say they take actions after viewing Instagram posts, including shopping, sharing with friends and visiting websites. (Read more at TechCrunch)
- Facebook’s full-screen ad product for iOS and Android, dubbed Canvas, is now available to all advertisers through Power editor. The goal of Canvas is to create a “fully customizable digital space on which to build multimedia stories” and to “Raise the bar for what people and advertisers should see on their mobile phones." (Read more at Facebook for Business)
- Nielsen has announced that it is going to be measuring brands’ video ads on Snapchat. The measurement is limited to ads that run within Live Stories and Discover Channels, but Nielsen plans to expand to measure Sponsored Geofilters and Snapchat Lens ads. The measurement company plans to report the number of people who saw an ad, how many times, the demographic breakdown and GRPs. The measurement allows Snapchat to be measured against TV, and the move makes Snapchat more appealing to brands. (Read more at AdAge)