YouTube rolls out new app for Google’s VR headset, Facebook takes native advertising to Messenger and Snapchat gets ready to deploy vending machines (kind of).
Get the details — watch SMCF!
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YouTube took the full step into virtual reality with a brand-spankin’ new app for Google’s VR headset, Daydream. The standalone app was built from scratch specifically for Daydream and includes all of the same videos that you love, as well as the entire 360-degree video collection from YouTube. Right now, it only works for Google’s new phone, Pixel. To learn more, check out the Official YouTube Blog.
Instagram had a few updates to Stories this week. Users and brands can now add links, share a chronological slideshow of flix and pics that vanish after 24 hours, include “at” mentions — and there’s a new boomerang mode available in the format picker. What’s even more important than their fun little additions? Marketers can target 29 percent more users in the UK due to their growth over the last year.
Big news this week out of Facebook. After widespread attention and criticism from U.S. lawmakers, the company announced it will eliminate the ability of advertisers in housing, employment and credit-related industries to utilize ethnic targeting. To mitigate concerns outside of the mentioned industries, it will require advertisers to agree to non-discriminatory practices and will build tools to automatically disable ads that are discriminatory in nature.
Watch out, LinkedIn, Facebook is experimenting with recruiting features that would allow page admins to create job postings and receive applications through the page. But hold up, don’t some of us want to keep our Facebook profile out of the job interview…? A separation of life and work, so to speak? Especially now. When. Every. Single. Person. Is using Facebook as their own political mouthpiece to blast the opposition over and over and over and over again.
Facebook is rolling out new analytics for the Messenger platform that measure bot user demographics, including household income, retail habits, relationship status, education level, age and gender.
Speaking of Messenger, sponsored content may soon be coming to your Facebook inbox through version 1.3. Sound a bit much? Don’t worry. Facebook is putting controls in place, including one that only allows businesses to send you sponsored messages if you had already engaged with the business. And, if you don’t like it, you can block it.
LinkedIn is taking a similar approach to its messaging system. The company is turning on Sponsored InMail, allowing marketers to target and serve ads to LinkedIn users through their inbox.
Good news for content marketers! LinkedIn is introducing real-time insights for its mobile devices, allowing users a bit of insight into who has read their posts. Not only that, users will be able to see job titles, companies they work for and HOW they discovered the content. Creepy, but cool.
Snap Inc.’s Spectacles hit the market, and so far people seem to be pretty pumped about it. When you’re ready to start using Spectacles, pairing them with your phone is as easy as looking at a snapcode — and, boom, you’re ready to share 10- to 30-second clips of your day. The clips are uploaded to snapchat in its own “Specs” tab and you can share them with other Snapchat users. When viewing the videos in Snapchat, users can tilt and turn their phone to change the orientation of the space and users can of course add different filters and AR extras to videos.
The rollout of Spectacles is of course being done in a rather unique fashion, using “Snapbots”, or vending machines, that only stay in one place for about a day (OMG JUST LIKE SNAPS!!!). The Snapbots will also use Snapchat’s lens technology to let users try on digital versions of their Spectacles before making a decision. Keep an eye out for a Snapbot near you.
Our last Snapchat story brings a surprise twist. After at least a year of Facebook-owned apps ripping off Snapchat, Snapchat has now copied a feature from Instagram stories. Now you can replay a Snapchat story by tapping on the left side of the screen, JUST LIKE INSTAGRAM!!!
Sources:
YouTube VR: A whole new way to watch… and create, YouTube
Instagram now allows brands to embed external links in Stories, @JenFaull, The Drum
Facebook stops allowing ads to target specific ethnic groups, @dseetharaman, Market Watch
Here’s Why Facebook Is Introducing Job Postings On Its Platform, Forbes
Facebook opens sponsored messages to all developers in newest version of Messenger, @ingridlunden, Tech Crunch
Facebook wants to help improve Messenger bots, @richardjnieva, CNet
LinkedIn Rolls Out Audience Insights, SocialTimes
LinkedIn opens Sponsored InMail to all as yet more ad products come to messaging platforms, @ingridlunden, Tech Crunch
SNAPCHAT SPECTACLES ARE HERE AND THEY ARE RIDICULOUSLY FUN,Â
Snapchat just copied the best feature of Instagram stories,Â
