In the ever-changing world of social media, The Social Sparq Plug is your one-stop-shop for all things digital marketing. Each week, our online marketing team meets to discuss the latest trends and updates happening on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Youtube, Pinterest and beyond.
We’ve aggregated the best creative and noteworthy news and campaigns from the past week. Here’s the hot take from the minds of our online marketers!
Social Media Updates You Need To Know This Week
Facebook’s at it again! The popular and ever-changing platform has now added a new, built-in digital wallet launching in 2020. We told you about Libra last week, and we’re back again with the scoop on Calibra–the financial subsidiary in charge.
Calibra will include a digital wallet, built into Messenger and WhatsApp, with users able to utilize the Libra currency system (formed by blockchain technology). “Businesses will be able to buy and sell products on its platforms without having to use any other vendors’ online/in-store digital payments, leveraging Facebook’s cryptocurrency to provide easy and effective payment” hails Forrester analyst Meng Liu.
The success of the Libra cryptocurrency is quite scrutinized. If able to, customer experience possibilities and e-commerce capability will be greatly increased. What are your thoughts on Calibra and Libra?
3 Creative “Sparqs” To Light Up Your Imagination
Ed Sheeran X Heinz Ketchup
Nothing better than a great collaboration, which is what we found this week with Ed Sheeran’s new Heinz Ketchup commercial.
The mashup of icons begins with a voice over of Sheeran mentioning what his “ideal Heinz commercial would be,” walking into a “posh” restaurant. Upon being seated at the table, Sheeran dressed casually, tells the waiter “the only thing that will complete me” while pulling a bottle of red goodness from his bag. A limited-edition “Edchup” to save the day! With clever repetitions and maintaining a true brand tone, this collaboration is a condiment to a great ad.
Casio Leaves Us Crying😭😂
Casio, a classic watch, is usually no frills. Their recent ad touches on this in a very genuine way, spotlighting a father’s relationship with his watch family. We could tell you all about it, but why don’t you watch this one for yourself. You may need a tissue…at first!
A quote from Skyler Fulton, writer/director of the ad: “My intention with the ending was to add a little levity and hopefully take a left turn from the viewer’s expectations. As a consumer, I feel like I’ve become used to heavy-handed and emotionally manipulative brand messaging. Like, why is this [car commercial] trying to make me cry? In this piece, it’s inherently emotional to watch a man’s adult life flash before our eyes, but does that mean this product is like a lifelong companion to him?”
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A nonsensical idea for most people, particularly millennials to even consider, is a full literary work (book) on a social network for one’s reading pleasure. And not just any social network–Instagram, in the “Stories” section. Would this make you want to read a book?
Apparently, it made A LOT of people want to read. The New York Public Library’s social experiment caused their following to soar–75%. About 155,000, tracked agency Mother New York, the creative driving force. Taking three weeks each to prepare, the focus for the “Insta Novels” is to help people “embrace technology in new ways.” Still surprised? Since its August launch, novels have been read a whopping 300,000 times!
…Brb, we need to go finish reading these last pages @nypl 👓📱
Our Marketing Term of the Week
*Beep beep*
In the minutes you’ve probably taken to read this article, you’ve probably received (or sent) an email! Since email is practically the preferred millennial method, but more importantly a main staple of modern-day communication, our term relates to email marketing!
Churn rate – the percentage of subscribers who leave your list in a given period, calculated by dividing the amount of people who leave your list (because they unsubscribe, mark you as spam, or bounce) by your list size in email marketing.
Why it’s important – tells how fast subscribers leave your list, and how quickly you’ll “burn” through your lead database (so keep up with those leads kids!)
Wow, what a week! Join us on Mondays to read about the brands ‘sparqing’ our creativity, what Facebook will do next, and new ideas that could strengthen your marketing strategy.
