Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup
Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup
Bonded Bitesize – Bringing you your midweek roundup of the latest in digital and media.
Stay connected with recent updates from YouTube, Uber, Meta, LinkedIn & many more!
New prime positioning ad option for YouTube Select content places ads during key moments such as sporting events, movie releases and product launches
As part of its Advertising Week New York showcase, YouTube has announced its new ad offering, ‘Moment Blast’, to help brands amplify their message and maximise exposure. As explained by YouTube, “Moment Blast is designed for brands looking to raise awareness during key moments - like major sporting events, movie releases or product launches. Moment Blast gives advertisers prime positioning on YouTube Select content on Connected TVs and other devices, plus a Branded Title Card and optional Masthead placement.
Our takeaway… These seem like prime ad spots - they’ve certainly caught our attention!
Netflix’s new ‘Profile Transfer’ cracks down on password sharing allowing users to transfer their existing data to new personal accounts
In its efforts to crack down on account sharing, Netflix have launched a new ‘Profile Transfer’ feature that allows existing users to carry all their personal data to their new, paid-for accounts. This means that its customised recommendations, viewing history, list of favourite shows/movies will not be lost along the way. The platform is currently suffering with a loss of nearly one million subscribers, with the rise of competitor Disney+ as well as its new pricing tiers so this new source of revenue will be well received - especially as Netflix estimated that over 100 million accounts have password freeloaders.
Instagram is testing a new option which would enable users to add a song to their profile pages
Yes, you read that right. Spotted by Twitter user @alex193a, Instagram is testing a new option to allow users to pick a song for their profiles and write a caption about them. Similar to an old feature of MySpace, this would definitely add a fun, personal element to users' profile pages. This feature is currently just being tested with several select users, it is not yet known when or if it will be rolled out to the public - though if it is, let us know which song you’d be choosing in the comments below!
Uber has launched a dedicated advertising division to serve the world's biggest brands with ad spaces within the UberEats app, as well as car-top billboards
Uber has announced it is launching its own global advertising division with the goals of creating a billion dollar business within the next two years by displaying ads within its apps as well as on top of cars and on the back of seats. These new ad formats use Uber’s first-party data to target riders during each part of their route, known as ‘Journey ads’, these are displayed on the waiting-for-pickup screen, enroute as well as post-trip.
Our takeaway… We think this sounds like a great move for Uber, we know how much we refresh our phones when waiting for our UberEats, why not monetise this space.
TikTok is raising the age requirement for hosting lives from 16-18, as well as launching adult-only streams and expanding its Multi-guest feature
TikTok has announced a series of new features, updates and policies to enhance its live community experience - one of which being increasing the age requirement for hosting livestreams to 18, having come under fire multiple times for failing to protect its younger users. In addition, creators will be able to limit their lives to adult-only audiences - such as when they want to discuss sensitive subjects or use adult humour. The platform has also announced they are working on an updated version of keyword filtering that will send reminders to creators that suggest new keywords they may want to filter. TikTok have also updated their Multi-guest feature to allow hosts to go live with up to 5 guests at a time.
Advertisers will now be able to add product feeds directly in Discovery ads, providing more ways to promote products on the app
YouTube has announced it is adding product feeds in Discovery - meaning advertisers will be able to list available products directly in Discovery ads. Having seen a 70% increase in conversions for video action campaigns with product feeds in Shorts than those without, Google is keen to expand this offering further. Google stated “product feeds will also include local offers, allowing brands to show real-time availability for products in their Google Merchant Centre so people can find the most convenient place to buy. YouTube also alluded to further expansion of its product display capacity on shorts, suggesting that creators will soon be able to “transform their content into virtual storefronts” and that “more creators will have the ability to tag products in their videos and Shorts.
Our takeaway… It’s interesting to see YouTube doubling down on its shopping features at the time as Instagram rids itself of them.
New Facebook Groups features help users connect over shared interests including Reels in Groups, Community Contributions, as well as Socialiser and Admin Assist roles
Meta has been keeping busy developing new features for Facebook Groups which they announced at Facebook’s Community Summit. Group members can now post Reels to Groups, share community events on their Instagram Stories as well as customise the information on their About Me sections including an indicator that shows if they are open to being messaged or not. The platform also announced enhanced ways for admins to build culture, such as through Community Contributions (rewards for top contributing members). Admins will also be able to select users for new roles like Socialiser (recognising users that are welcoming and engaging to others) and Admin assist (to help moderate the community). Meta is also testing the ability to create view-only chats to send one-way communication to members.
Pinterest has partnered with Warner Music Group and Merlin to allow US users to add music from top artists to their idea pins
Pinterest has announced partnerships with Warner Music Group, Merlin and BMG, allowing users to add tracks from their favourite artists to their pins. Pinterest did already have a royalty-free music library, but these partnerships will help to expand this offering, with trending songs from popular artists like Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars. Malik Ducard, Chief Content Officer at Pinterest explained that “music plays a vital role in elevating storytelling”, and that this new offering will enhance the user experience by helping “elevate the content and inspiration created on Pinterest”. This new addition is currently only available in the US, but we’ll be keeping our eyes (and ears) open for a UK version!
Google is letting users customise or disable targeted ads they see across search results, YouTube and Google Discover via its new ‘My Ads Centre’
Google’s new ‘My Ad Centre’ lets users customise their ad experience, meaning they can restrict certain ads without giving up helpful features like personalised search results. As explained by Google’s Vice President of Ads, Jerry Discher, “Now if you don’t want your Youtube History to be used for ad personalisation, you can turn it off in My Ad Centre, without impacting relevant recommendations in your feed”. Users can also choose to limit ads relating to sensitive subjects such as alcohol, dating and weight loss.
Several new accessibility features including automatic video captions, alt text for ads, a high contrast mode and accessibility job titles and skills
LinkedIn has taken more steps towards inclusivity announcing several new accessibility-focused features. Videos will now have automatically generated captions to help those who are deaf, hard of hearing or even those that prefer to watch without the sound on. Users can review and edit these captions before posting to ensure accuracy. LinkedIn is also rolling out a high contrast mode to the mobile app, adjusting the colours for those with visual disabilities. In addition, the platform is also adding accessibility job titles, alt text for ads and finally a ‘Dyslexic Thinking’ skill for profiles - to empower rather than shame users with Dyslexia.
Youtube is expanding its audio-only ads universally, and enabling podcast targeting to allow advertisers to tap into its growing podcast and music listeners
Audio-only ads have existed on YouTube since 2020, but the platform has now extended their availability globally to enhance its YouTube Music and new podcast offering. These audio-ads recognise the need to reach people on audio surfaces and in listening-first states, and can be bought through Google Ads or its Display & Video 360 platform. Given that Youtube is now the second most popular destination for listening to podcasts, the new audio-only ads can be targeted to podcasts exclusively, allowing brands to tap into these audiences.
Snapchat’s paid subscription Snapchat+ has added 4 new features including story expiration controls, custom sounds, borders for stories & exclusive halloween bitmoji backgrounds
Snapchat has announced several new features to its premium tier, Snapchat+, giving users more ways to customise their Snapchat experience. Snapchat+ currently costs £3.99 a month and has over a million paying users, giving members access to a range of exclusive features updated regularly. The latest updates include the ability to customise notification sounds for different friends. Paying users can also put coloured borders on their stories as well as access to an exclusive set of spooky Bitmoji backgrounds for halloween.
Instagram is testing an in-app scheduling tool for posts and reels on select users, reducing the need for third-party apps to schedule content
Instagram have confirmed that they are testing a highly anticipated scheduling tool that would allow users to plan and post reels and posts in advance. Social media managers and content creators alike have long relied upon third-party apps like HootSuite or SocialFlow to do this in the past, but this new feature would allow them to do so without leaving the app. This feature is currently being tested on select users, and it isn't yet known if or when this feature will be rolled out to the public - though we will of course keep you posted!
YouTube has announced a range of design changes and a cleaner user interface - including pinch-to-zoom, precise seeking and ambient mode
YouTube has announced it is refreshing its look and feel with new design elements and product features with a ‘cleaner, more lively’ design. These changes include ambient mode, which casts video colours onto the screen's background for a more immersive viewing experience, as well as making the dark theme even darker. YouTube links in video descriptions will change to buttons, and users will be able to pinch-to-zoom as well as precise seeking to help users make fine-tuned adjustments to fast-forward or rewind to a certain part of a video.
E-commerce giant Amazon has launched its own home insurance comparison site in partnership with a series of insurance providers
Next on Amazon’s quest for world domination - the insurance industry. The e-commerce giant has partnered with Argeas UK, Co-op and LV+ General Insurance to create its own home insurance comparison site, with more providers expected to come next year. Like any other comparison site, users will be able to fill out a questionnaire to receive a suitable range of quotes, which they can compare on price, offering and ratings. Amazon will receive a commission for each sale, though the amount of which has not been shared.
