We pulled together some of the most interesting articles we’ve read recently – and included the quotes that got us talking the most.
Brands Are Cashing In on Social With Shoppable Instagram Stories and Snapchat Ads
Source: AdWeek
“I believe that social platforms are about to become the next great storefront,” said Rachel Tipograph, CEO of MikMak, a platform that creates, distributes and measures shoppable video campaigns for brands. MikMak Attach connects retailers’ Instagram Stories and Snap Ads with links to ecommerce sites. While watching an Instagram Story viewers can “swipe up” and shop the featured product. Dr. Brandt, a skincare brand tested out the feature and experienced a 500% increase in sales directly from Instagram in 10 days. Bustle, a millennial publisher, is also making the most of social with their first branded content series. They are partnering with Sephora to launch the new private label Sephora Collection with weekly Instagram Story series. Viewers will be able to “swipe up” and shop a featured product right from Bustle’s Instagram Stories.
Unilever Turns Tables on Influencers With ‘New’ Hair Care Brand
Source: AdAge
Evaus, Unilever’s ‘new’ hair care brand, was launched using an influencer campaign. The product in drab, minimalist packaging was trialed by fashion and beauty bloggers for 10 days. When asked to share their experiences with the new product, bloggers said things like, “It’s edgy. It’s modern. It’s sleek.” It was even referred to as a “game changer”. This edgy, game changing new product was Suave (Evaus is Suave backwards) in a different bottle than the one on Walmart’s shelves. The inspiration for this tricky experiment was a finding that seven of 10 women think higher priced brands are more trustworthy. Unilever’s survey research revealed that 90% of millennial women would buy lower-priced haircare products if they didn’t have to sacrifice quality. The takeaway: “premium prices don’t dictate what the product can do for you.”
Why Instagram Is Becoming Facebook’s Next Facebook
Source: New York Times
In just six months Instagram gained 100 million users. Today, 700 million people use Instagram and of that 400 million are checking in daily. The rapid growth of the photo-sharing app is a result of rapid changes. Instagram finds opportunities to better serve its users and implements change as soon as possible. “Any performance improvements lead to usage improvements,” said Mike Krieger, Instagram co-founder. With the new features and new feed ranking algorithm more people are using the app more often.