Bonded Bitesize – Bringing you your midweek roundup of the latest in digital and media.
Stay connected with recent updates from Google, Meta, Twitter & many more!
Instagram has added a ‘Lead Form’ option for business profiles to help generate direct responses from users
In a new addition to the business profiles, Meta has added a new CTA option ‘Lead Form’ that helps users generate more information from potential customers to help them generate leads and target users better. Businesses can choose from a standard lead form that is prefilled to gather contact information, or create their own custom lead form with personalised multiple choice or short answer responses. It is not yet confirmed whether this feature is still being tested or is rolling out slowly as not all business profiles have reported access.
Twitter has published its annual events calendar to assist with campaign planning
If you’re looking to plan your content for the year ahead, Twitter has just released its annual events calendar to help keep you up-to-date with all the key events and celebrations across the year. The calendar can be filtered by region and event type, and listings can be downloaded. Check out this helpful resource here.
After his two year ban from Facebook and Instagram, former President Donald Trump is now allowed back onto the platforms
In 2021, Donald Trump was suspended for 2 years from Facebook and Instagram after he praised the people who engaged in anti-government violence that resulted in several deaths, as well as a string of unsubstantiated, harmful posts. Now 2 years later, the suspension has since been reviewed by Meta, who claims that as the political climate has changes, Trump now poses less of a risk and is therefore allowed back on the platforms. Meta has however imposed strict “guardrails” in place to discourage repeat offences. Many have criticised Meta for this reversal, claiming that the company is more concerned with profits than the safety of their platforms.
Google Optimise and Optimise 360 will no longer be available after 30 September, 2023
Google is sunsetting Google Optimise, meaning that any experiments and personalisations still active will soon end. According to Google, Optimise is being discontinued so that they can invest in solutions that provide more robust A/B testing capabilities. Google also stated that their focus is on providing effective user experience improvement tools through Google Analytics 4. So far, however, this decision has not been very well received by marketers.
Twitter is testing a new conversion campaign objectives that promotes Tweets solely among specific results
Twitter has rolled out a new conversion campaign objective in the Twitter Ads interface called ‘Search Keywords Ads’ as a beta test. This new objective enables advertisers to bid to insert promoted Tweets solely among specific search results, easing advertisers' concerns that ads will appear next to controversial topics. This objective also aims to improve the ad relevance, and reach the right audiences. Twitter further explains “For now these campaigns will optimise only for conversations to advertiser websites, and they require the integration of the Twitter Pixel or Conversion API to maximise relevance”.
Instagram is expanding access of Inbox Notes to users in Europe and Japan due to good uptake
Having launched in select regions last month, Instagram has announced that it is expanding Notes access to more users. Notes are short, 60 character posts that are displayed at the top of a user's inbox for 24 hours, designed to spark more interactions within the inbox. Instagram chief, Adam Mosseri, claims the Notes have seen good take-up especially with younger users, and stated that the inbox feature in general is seeing increasing popularity.
Google has created an AI that can generate music from complex text descriptions, though has no plans to release it just yet
Google has created an impressive new AI system called MusicLM that can generate music in any genre when given a text description. MusicLM was trained on a dataset of 280,000 hours of music to learn to generate coherent songs - and can create music from complex instructions, such as “enchanting jazz song with a memorable saxophone solo and a solo singer”. The AI can also build upon existing melodies and be instructed with pictures and captions too. Google has no immediate plans to release this AI however due to complications infringing of copyrighted music, which could cause an onslaught of legal battles for the company. Listen to the AI samples here.
Pinterest and Conde Nast have announced a partnership, with Vogue and Architectural Digest producing exclusive video content
As part of Pinterest’s new partnership with Conde Nast, Vogue and Architectural Digest will produce over 160 exclusive videos aligned with Pinterests key seasonal and cultural movements. Conde Nast is one of Pinterests longest-standing and largest content publishers globally - with over 40 Pinterest profiles with tens of millions of views. The partnership aims to drive more engagement around 2 key areas for the app - wedding and home decor. Video is also proving popular for Pinterest with the platform now serving over a billion video views per day.
Twitter has updated its Paid Partnership Policy to ensure more transparency in paid promotions for both brands and influencers
Amid the increasing scrutiny of influencers not disclosing sponsorships, Twitter is clamping down on its Paid Partnership Policy. The update makes it clear that all paid partnerships must be declared appropriately, and offers guidance on what this covers in line with changing regulations. Failure to properly disclose partnerships could result in ‘enforcement actions’ - though the lack of partnership tags like on Meta’s platforms means that Twitter is reliant on users compliance to the policy.
Instagram’s new dynamic profile photo flips between users profile photos and their waving Avatars
Having introduced Avatars to Instagram almost a year ago, Meta appears to be pushing their use with its newest feature - dynamic profile photos. Users can now show both their own profile photos and their avatars, which will automatically flip between the two when another user goes on their profile. This is also the first time that Meta has introduced moving Avatars, with the figures waving to the user as they appear on screen.
New Account-level negative keywords automatically apply to all search and shopping inventory in relevant campaign types
Google has expanded its negative keywords feature to Account-level meaning that any unwanted impressions or clicks can be prevented across multiple campaigns. This expansion will therefore save advertisers time and effort, making it easier to manage future changes. Negative keywords are a list of words that blocks ads showing up to irrelevant search terms. Utilising this feature can lead to higher click through and conversion rates, as well as saving on ad spend.
Meta has expanded its partnership with the NBA to offer over 50 live VR games on Meta Quest
Meta’s partnership will see it delivering 52 live NBA games including 5 immersive 180 degree monoscopic VR games in 2880 on Xtadium and on Meta Horizon Worlds. Users will also be able to access game highlights, recaps and archival content within Meta Horizon Worlds. In addition, Meta will also offer a selection of WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League games. According to Meta, fans in the future will be able to watch even more content in the app with an NBA League Pass subscription. This immersive technology opens up new opportunities for sports fans to engage and interact with their favourite teams.
TikTok has expanded its DM settings to let users choose who can message them
Video sharing platform, TikTok, has quietly expanded its DM settings to give users more choice of who can message them. Previously users could only send DMs to people they were friends with, or were recommended to, whereas these options have now been expanded to include: everyone, suggested friends, mutual followers, people you’ve sent messages to, or no one. Many believe this is an attempt to rival the popularity of Instagram’s DM feature, turning TikTok into a place not just to consume content but also to communicate.
New vehicle listings feature allows dealerships to advertise inventory above search results
A new widget that allows business profiles to add motor vehicles to their inventory is in beta in the US. The feature allows dealerships to list cars, trucks, motorcycles or more as long as they have a Vehicle Identification Number, meaning they can undercut prices of websites such as Autotrader. The widget shows all the car specs and allows users to narrow down the search criteria within their local area.
Twitter’s new platform rules are less restrictive of offensive content
Having recently reinstated thousands of formerly suspended accounts in Musk’s effort to create Twitter 2.0, the platform is now changing its response to offensive content. In line with Musk’s “Freedom of speech, not freedom of reach” approach, the platform will no longer remove offensive content, but rather reduce its reach algorithmically. Meaning that controversial content will not be able to be boosted or monetised. Musk explains “You won’t find the Tweet unless you specifically seek it out, which is no different from the rest of the internet”. Although Must has assured marketers that ads will not be placed next to controversial content, this move isn’t likely to make them feel more comfortable with advertising on the platform.