Here’s all the news you may have missed:
General
- App analytics company AppAnnie has released a report of the most downloaded iOS apps of all time (registration required). The #1 game of all time is Candy Crush (which offers video ads) but the Top app of all time is Facebook. Overall, Facebook and Google-owned app dominate 1-6; followed by 7. Snapchat, 8. Skype, 9. WeChat and 10. QQ.
- YouTube has updated their video player to better support vertical video. Video playback actually will automatically adjust to the best aspect ratio for the video.
- There’s a good read on Techcrunch about the “Stories” format available on Snapchat and Instagram and how non-skippable ads in stories could be the future everywhere. Stories are one of the fastest growing social content formats (and celebrated 2 years on Instagram during the week) so it’s a good time to be learning best practice creative and advertising techniques now.
- Facebook has updated how they report video metrics. Facebook will now only count unrepeated seconds of video (which is a better metric) as part of a view. Facebook will also report out video impressions, videos that were served but not played. Neither of these changes impacts the way you can buy video on Facebook. There is a 1 pager on the updated metrics if you want to learn more.
- WhatsApp will be expanding the number of businesses it works with for WhatsApp business messaging offering including hinting at business paying to message users. If it sounds like something your clients may be interested in, you can reach out to Facebook to get access to the API. As an aside (and back to the Stories POV earlier) WhatsApp has the highest number of Daily Active Users of Stories (450MM).
- Snapchat has launched lenses that respond to your voice. The lenses respond to basic English words (hi, love, yes, no, etc). You can check out some of the lenses in action here.
- Pinterest has formally launched out their “max width promoted video” offering. In beta since May, this is a is a mobile-first, high impact ad format, spanning the width of the Pinterest feed in mobile and has proven successful for CPG and entertainment brands.
- Musical.ly is being closed. Purchased just under a year ago for almost $1B, the service is being closed and merged with TikTok a competitor owned by the same parent company (Bytedance). All of which could bode well for Facebook’s own music / singing offering.
Original Content
It’s the first time I have had a section for “Original Content”. It’s getting a separate section as original content typically opens up new advertising opportunities or signals a strategic bet by a digital company (and there was a lot of news in this area during the week).
- During Apple’s quarterly earnings call, Tim Cook hinted (again) that Apple will invest more in original content and launch an owned and operated entertainment offering. It’s expected Apple will release a subscription-based content service in 2019.
- Spotify has made Archie comics available within the app. These are narrated stop-motion style animated comics. It’s definitely different and worth your time to check out.
- YouTube is looking to create original content in markets outside the US. France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and India are markets slated to get local originals as part of YouTube’s premium/paid offering.
- Facebook is rumoured to be developing something called “Talent Show” which could either be content or a just a general feature. The offering would let users compete by singing popular songs then submitting their audition for review. There has been no official comment from Facebook.
Trust, Safety, and Transparency
- Facebook published an update on the app review process post-Cambridge Analytica. Apps that haven’t submitted for review are now having API access cut off and Facebook claims that these are mostly “inactive”.
- Axios reports that Senator Mark Warner has a policy paper aimed to address three (3) of the biggest challenges in tech 1. Combatting Disinformation; 2. Protecting Privacy and 3; Promoting competition in tech. A draft of the paper is available here (23page PDF) and serves as a way of testing the waters of potential regulation of the sector. The document is a really good read, one highlight is that It argues that certain platforms be defined as “essential facilities”.
- Facebook has launched a “Digital Literacy LIbrary” aimed at educators/young people to “develop skills needed to navigate the digital world, critically consume information and responsibly produce and share content”. Built as a series of downloadable or interactive lessons, you don’t need a Facebook account to participate in the course(s).
Joshua