The temperatures are starting to drop, the leaves are starting to fall, the footballs are starting to fly, and school is back in session.
Fall officially kicks off Sept. 23, and Sept. 15 is the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Social Media Holidays to Mark on Your Calendar
- Sept. 2: Labor Day
- Sept. 5: International Day of Charity
- Sept. 6: Read a Book Day
- Sept. 7: National Beer Lover’s Day
- Sept. 8: International Literacy Day
- Sept. 8: Grandparents’ Day
- Sept. 10: Suicide Prevention Day
- Sept. 11: National Day of Service and Remembrance
- Sept. 12: National Video Games Day
- Sept. 15: First day of Hispanic Heritage Month
- Sept. 21: International Day of Peace
- Sept. 23: First day of fall
- Sept. 27: World Tourism Day
- Sept. 28: National Drink Beer Day
Social Media Platform Updates
TikTok
TikTok Spotlight
Marketers in the entertainment field have a new way to reach TikTok’s coveted demographics with the introduction of TikTok Spotlight.
@tiktoknewsroomIntroducing TikTok Spotlight, a new promotional solution that allows the entertainment industry to harness the power of TikTok fan communities to promote films, TV series and franchises.
The offering works by enabling the studios behind movies and television shows to identify TikTok accounts related to what they are promoting—such as a film premiering in theaters or a show debuting on a network or streaming platform—and add anchor links that take users to dedicated landing pages with information such as casts, official accounts, synopses, and related content from other creators.
Fans will also be able to do things like view the content being promoted on streaming platforms or purchase tickets to movie theaters via those landing pages.
TikTok collaborates with studios to determine the creators that best fit the campaign’s goals, and it then provides those creators with incentives to produce content based on the films and shows being promoted.
That content is then amplified across TikTok and outside of the platform.
DM Updates
TikTok rolled out several updates to its direct messaging feature.
- Stickers were added, and users can create and customize their own Stickers to add flair to their conversations on the platform.
- TikTok introduced a Group Chat feature that allows up to 32 people to watch content, comment, and react together in real-time. Like DMs, Group Chat is not available for users aged 13 through 15.
- People can only be added to a Group Chat by friends (they must follow each other), and teens will not be able to join unless at least one mutual friend is in the group. Teens who create Group Chats must review and approve new participants.
- Blocking and muting tools are available, and individual messages or entire chats can be reported for violations of the platform’s community guidelines.
- Finally, there are limits on the number of Group Chats a single user can create and the number of times a message can be forwarded.
Songs of the Summer
“Million Dollar Baby (VHS)” by Tommy Richman topped TikTok’s list of Songs of the Summer for the U.S., while the global chart was topped by “Gata Only” from FloyyMenor and Cris Mj.
TikTok’s 2024 top Songs of the Summer in the U.S. were:
- “Million Dollar Baby (VHS),” Tommy Richman
- “Nasty,” Tinashe
- “Champagne Coast,” Blood Orange
- “Magic Johnson,” Ian
- “Birds of a Feather,” Billie Eilish
- “Please Please Please,” Sabrina Carpenter
- “Tell Ur Girlfriend,” Lay Bankz
- “Wanna Be,” GloRilla featuring Megan Thee Stallion
- “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar
- “Kehlani,” Jordan Adetunji
And the global list is:
- “Gata Only,” FloyyMenor and Cris Mj
- “Nasty,” Tinashe
- “Million Dollar Baby (VHS),” Tommy Richman
- “Birds of a Feather,” Billie Eilish
- “Alibi,” Sevdaliza (with Pabllo Vittar & Yseult)
- “Please Please Please,” Sabrina Carpenter
- “Este,” El Alfa, Nfasis
- “Tell Ur Girlfriend,” Lay Bankz
- “Si No Quieres No,” Luis R Conriquez, Neton Vega
- “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” Karol G
What’s Next 2024 Shopping Trend Report
TikTok released its What’s Next 2024 Shopping Trend Report, breaking its findings into three sections: Bending Emotions, Bending Communities, and Bending Relationships.
- Bending Emotions: The company wrote, “TikTok is where mood boosting entertainment, shopping, and community collide. Our community embraces a lighthearted and hopeful approach as they share moments of joy and highlight brands that contribute to these positive glimmers. Shoppers are more selective with their spending and are seeking out brands bending their yearning for joy into shopping that gives them relief from an overwhelming market.” According to its research, users of the platform are 5.2 times more likely to say that TikTok is the best platform to connect with brands.
- Bending Communities: TikTok noted that 74% of its users feel that the platform connects them with people from different backgrounds and cultures globally, writing, “Communities are becoming a new form of self-care, bending bridges of belonging to soothe feelings of loneliness. Conscious consumers are trading ‘viral’ for value and turning to TikTok as a trusted shopping companion for higher-end purchasing decisions, from clothing to cars … People are breaking free from traditional demographics and embracing multifaceted identities within TikTok’s vibrant communities. When these communities intersect, it’s the dawn of a new hybrid culture, exchanging and blending unique traits.”
- Bending Relationships: The company wrote, “Marketers are bending one-way brand and consumer relationships with heightened collaboration and transparency. Brands that invite customers into the development process are developing stronger bonds. As TikTokers share their open and honest reviews, strategic brands are closely listening and adapting real-time feedback into new product formulations and consumer engagement touchpoints. In a new twist, brands and consumers are actively experimenting with artificial intelligence to resolve decision fatigue in the shopping process. The reluctance of AI is being steadily eclipsed by a growing wave of exploration, as our community and brands dive into AI’s possibilities and share their findings on TikTok.”
Other TikTok News
- TikTok marked the release of F-1 Trillion, the new country album from Post Malone, with in-app experience #F1TRILLION, where users can complete five interactive tasks for a chance to win two tickets to the tour and see exclusive album artwork.
- The company filed a reply brief in support of its petition to overturn the ban on TikTok being discussed in Washington, D.C.
- TikTok is the official partner of gamescom 2024 in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 21 through 25.
20 Is Plenty
Instagram doubled the number of photos and videos that users can include in carousels on feed, from 10 to 20.
The platform set 10 as the limit in 2017. Meanwhile, TikTok’s carousel feature allows up to 35 photos.
Instagram had been testing the update since March.
Threads Means Business
Instagram announced several features for its stand-alone Threads app aimed at businesses and creators.
New insights, initially rolling out on the web, enable users to better understand their followers and gauge the success of their posts via metrics like quotes, replies, reposts, and views.
The insights offering also provides a picture of an account’s follower count over time, as well as demographics including age, gender, and location.
Also starting off on the web with the goal of adding a mobile version later on, users can write and save multiple drafts of their posts, up to 100.
Finally, Instagram will begin testing a scheduling feature that lets users create posts and schedule them to go live later.
The feature will support multiple posts per day, multiple days in advance.
Other Instagram News
- Threads topped the 200 million user milestone.
- U.S. Threads users will now see a blue label above posts related to recent trending topics, and tapping that label will surface more related posts.
- Instagram is testing Snapchat-like ephemeral posts that disappear in 24 hours).
YouTube
Shopify Expansion
YouTube expanded its existing partnership with Shopify, enabling all eligible Shopify Plus and Advanced merchants in the U.S. to sign up for YouTube Shopping’s affiliate program through the Google & YouTube app on Shopify.
Merchants on Shopify can now tap the YouTube Shopping affiliate program to connect with thousands of eligible creators, who can showcase their products in videos, and those merchants have access to analytics, content, and products directly via Google Merchant Center.
Conversely, creators will soon gain access to thousands of new brands to tag in their hopping content, with YouTube saying BK Beauty, GoPure Beauty, HexClad, and Popflex are among those already on board.
Finally, a new Chrome extension for U.S. creators in the YouTube Shopping affiliate program lets them save products while browsing the site of a brand or retailer, so that those products can be accessed when they are at the stage of tagging their videos in YouTube Studio.
Those creators can also learn how much they will earn from tagging products in their YouTube videos without leaving the site.
AI Ideas
The Google-owned video platform is testing an integration with generative AI chatbot Google Gemini to help creators with thumbnails, titles, and video ideas.
The integration is available to a limited number of creators, and YouTube said it will consider their feedback before deciding whether to roll it out globally.
YouTube began testing a similar feature in May that gave creators access to an AI-powered content inspiration tool that suggested potential topics of interest and generated talking points.
Other YouTube News
- YouTube is testing a sleep timer on its YouTube Premium tier that lets subscribers set their videos to pause after a specific length of time.
Amazon
TikTok, Pinterest Go Prime
Ecommerce giant Amazon teamed up with TikTok and Pinterest to enable users of those social apps to purchase its products without leaving the app.
The company said shoppers will see information in Amazon product ads including delivery estimates, Prime eligibility, product details, and real-time pricing,
TikTok and Pinterest users must link their profiles on those respective platforms to their Amazon accounts to gain access.
TikTok said in a blog post, “Shoppers will see Amazon product recommendations on the For You feed. When ready to purchase, users can choose to link their TikTok account to their Amazon account through a secure, quick, and easy one-time set-up. Once accounts are linked, Amazon customers are able to complete a checkout with Amazon in the product ad without leaving the TikTok app—enabling a faster, more frictionless experience.”
Meta
Assassination Attempt Aftermath
Meta addressed two issues that occurred on its platforms in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump July 13.
The parent of Facebook and Instagram said its systems incorrectly applied a fact-check label to a photo of Trump immediately following the attempt on his life, explaining, “We also experienced an issue related to the circulation of a doctored photo of former President Trump with his fist in the air, which made it look like the Secret Service agents were smiling. Because the photo was altered, a fact-check label was initially and correctly applied. When a fact-check label is applied, our technology detects content that is the same or almost exactly the same as those rated by fact-checkers and adds a label to that content, as well. Given the similarities between the doctored photo and the original image—which are only subtly (although importantly) different—our systems incorrectly applied that fact check to the real photo, too. Our teams worked to quickly correct this mistake.”
The company also clarified responses to the shooting generated by its Meta AI chatbot, noting that the large-language models that power chatbots generate responses based on the data that was used to train them, which can be problematic in instances like breaking news events.
Meta wrote, “Rather than have Meta AI give incorrect information about the attempted assassination, we programmed it to simply not answer questions about it after it happened—and instead give a generic response about how it couldn’t provide any information. This is why some people reported that our AI was refusing to talk about the event. We’ve since updated the responses that Meta AI is providing about the assassination attempt, but we should have done this sooner.”
Optimization Updates
Meta detailed changes it is making to its AI-enabled ads automation solutions to enable advertisers to further customize their campaigns and meet the objectives of their businesses.
The company will begin testing a new feature, Conversion Value Rules, which lets advertisers designate which audiences or conversions they value more or less.
Meta will also introduce a new opt-in attribution setting that optimizes for and reports on incremental conversions, or conversions that the company believes would not have occurred without the ad being shown.
Already underway and running into next year, Meta is rolling out the ability for businesses to connect their analytics tools directly to its ads system via a simple application-programming interface. This initiative started with Google Analytics and Northbeam, and the company plans to expand it soon to Triple Whale and Adobe.
Other Meta News
- Meta and Universal Music Group reached an expanded global, multiyear agreement to further evolve the creative and commercial opportunities for UMG artists and Universal Music Publishing Group songwriters across Meta platforms including Facebook, Horizon, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, and, for the first time, WhatsApp. The two companies will continue working together to address, among other things, unauthorized AI-generated content that could affect artists and songwriters.
- Meta shuttered CrowdTangle, a tool used by journalists, politicians, and researchers to track the spread of misinformation on Facebook and Instagram. Those using the replacement it offered up, Meta Content Library, said t is less transparent and accessible, has fewer features, and has a worse user experience design.
Education Over Incarceration
Facebook is giving creators who violate its community standards for the first time a way to learn from their mistakes and avoid punishment.
The new initiative is starting out with Professional Mode users. First-time violators will see a notification prompting them to complete in-app educational training related to the policy in question, after which the warning will be removed. They will be eligible for the same treatment in one year if they avoid further violations.
Second violations within that one-year period will result in a warning that cannot be removed from the Professional Profile, and further violations could impact reach and monetization opportunities.
This initiative does not apply to the most serious community standards, such as content including sexual harassment, the sale of high-risk drugs, or glorification of dangerous organizations and individuals.
Snapchat
Ad Platform Updates
Snapchat detailed several recent updates to its ad platform.
- Lead generation: The platform integrated with Zapier to help automate leads reporting directly into customer-relationship-management platforms, implemented better signal usage to enhance leads optimization, and improved reporting latency and overall ease of use.
- App-based advertisers: Improvements were added across the entire stack, and new bidding capabilities designed for mobile gaming were introduced. Snapchat said it expanded 7/0 optimization to support app install, purchase, and reengage purchase capabilities, and it began scaling those products with its advertising partners.
- Ecommerce and web: Snapchat has been testing a Value Optimization offering for app advertisers allowing them to bid on the basket value of purchases driven, and its recently launched Landing Page View optimization has generated improved in-site engagement and traffic quality for advertisers.
- Takeover products: First Lens Unlimited builds on the platform’s First Lens augmented reality takeover offering by giving an advertiser the first impression of the day in the first slot of the app’s Lens Carousel, plus unlimited impressions, frequency, and permanence in the next Lens Carousel ad slot. And State-Targeted First Story lets advertisers in the U.S. target First Story takeover campaigns to individual states, or to the entire country with different creative for each state.
- AR: AR Extensions for businesses bring the platform’s AR ad products to all ad surfaces, including Collection Ads, Commercials, Dynamic Product Ads, Snap Ads, and Snapchat Spotlight.
- Machine learning and AI: Advertisers can now create their own lenses using Snapchat’s ML Scribble World Lens technology, and the company said its AI tools enable ML lenses to be built in days. Snapchat’s new GenAI Copy Generator helps advertisers create headlines with AI.
Objectively Speaking
Snapchat streamlined and simplified ad objectives in its Ads Manager, slashing 12 options to five:
- Awareness and engagement: Brands that wish to boost awareness, drive ad engagement, increase video views, or promote a new store location can do so via ad formats including single image or video ads, Story ads, collection ads, and AR.
- Traffic: Single image or video ads, Story ads, collection ads, and AR can be used to drive Snapchat users to a specific app or website, or to increase landing page views.
- Leads: Advertisers can capture leads and drive clicks to lead forms or website via formats such as single image or video ads, collection ads, and Story ads.
- App promotion: Ad formats like single image or video ads, Story ads, collection ads, and AR ads can be used to encourage installation of an app or further actions within it.
- Sales: App reengagement, catalog sales, or website conversions can be achieved via single image or video ads, Story ads, collection ads, and AR ads.
Other Snapchat News
- Subscription service Snapchat+ topped 11 million subscribers.
- Snapchat introduced its inaugural Council for Digital Well-Being, a pilot program in the U.S. designed to hear from teens on the state of life online and their hopes and ideals for more positive and rewarding online experiences.
Pinterest Fall 2024 Trend Report
The Pinterest Fall 2024 Trend Report was released, covering fashion, beauty, home decor, food, and hobbies. Highlights include:
- Nature-inspired patterns and mixed-proportion layering will take center stage.
- From embellished nail designs and intricate Japanese-inspired nail art to foxy red hair colors and the resurgence of bangs, Pinterest users are trying out a wide variety of eye-catching looks.
- Pinterest users are embracing dreamy, cozy corners with floral room aesthetics and cozy lighting, infusing their spaces with soothing colors. Japanese style is influencing decor trends, such as Japanese vintage art.
- Earthy ingredients, like morel mushrooms and pistachio butter, are being incorporated to add depth and richness to dishes, and people are experimenting with jelly flavors.
- Generation Z is searching for fall activities, such as jewelry making and bag crafting, as well as club activities like book clubs, drama clubs, and running clubs.
Fourth-Quarter Highlights
LinkedIn shared financial highlights related to its platform from parent company Microsoft’s fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report covering the period that ended June 30:
- LinkedIn’s fiscal fourth-quarter revenue rose 10% year over year.
- The company said 1.5 million pieces of content are shared on its platform every minute, with video uploads up 34% year over year.
- Sign-ups for subscription offering LinkedIn Premium rose 51% during the fiscal year.
X
GARM Gone
The Global Alliance for Responsible Media is no more, following a lawsuit by X, alleging that GARM and member companies CVS Health, Mars, Ørsted, and Unilever used their influence to inspire brands to boycott the platform, accompanied by an unhinged video warning from CEO Linda Yaccarino.
The World Federation of Advertisers, which launched GARM in 2019, said it is a nonprofit and lacks the financial resources to defend itself against the suit.
Other X News
- Subscription offering X Premium+ is now fully ad-free.
- Users can now sort replies on any tweet by liked, most relevant, or recent.
- Sister company xAI released gen AI model Grok-2, which includes the capability for Premium and Premium+ users to generate images, with few restrictions in place.
- X shut down its operations in Brazil following a threat by Minister of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil Alexandre de Moraes against the company’s legal representative in the country over censorship demands.
Twitch
Video Stories
Twitch debuted Stories containing clips, photos, and text that vanish after 48 hours last year, and the streaming platform said those Stories can now include videos of up to 60 seconds.
Stories can now also be viewed on the web, and individual Stories can be set to disappear after one hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, or 48 hours.
AI Coming to Search Results
Reddit said it will begin testing AI-powered search result pages, populated by a combination of first-party and third-party technology.
Users in the test group will see AI-generated summaries at the top of search results on the platform.
More Stickers
The Meta-owned messaging app detailed several updates to its stickers features.
- Giphy: WhatsApp teamed up with Giphy to integrate its collection of stickers into the app.
- Custom sticker maker: Android users can now create, edit, and share their own features. This feature was already available for iOS.
- AI stickers: Meta AI can help users on Android and iPhone in the U.S. create custom stickers. Android users can also create AI stickers in Bahasa Indonesia and Spanish.
- Organization: New sticker packs can be previewed in user’s sticker trays below the ones they have already downloaded, and stickers can be moved to the top of the sticker tray or deleted.
Telegram
Star Reactions and More
The messaging app marked its 11th anniversary with the announcement of several new features:
- Star Reactions enable Telegram users to support their favorite channels and creators by sending them Star reactions that can be converted into the app’s Toncoin cryptocurrency rewards or subsidized ads. Leaderboards are displayed on posts with Star reactions, but users can opt out of appearing on them.
- Star Subscriptions: Creators can share special invite links that let users join their channel in exchange for a monthly payment in Stars.
- Bots need love, too: Paid posts are now available to bot administrators in channels and bots powering Telegram Business accounts.
- Giving back: If creators reinvest Stars into promoting their channel with ads on Telegram, the platform will subsidize those ads with a further 30% discount.
- Super Channels: Users can make their own channel look more like a group, where admins can post as their own profiles or as their other channels.
- A new document viewer on iOS lets users open .docx, .pdf, or .xls documents in a separate tab.
Brands That Stay on Trend
Brands and creators turned to TikTok to grasp onto the last days of summer before the calendar turns to fall.
Nick Jackson discussed some of his favorite things about NBCUniversal streaming platform Peacock’s coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games from Paris.
@niickjackson #PeacockPartner Make sure you don’t miss the Paris Olympics! Every Moment. Every Medal. @Peacock #Peacock #news #niickjackson ♬ original sound – Nick Jackson
Uber signed Gabrielle Union to promote Uber Teen Accounts!
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And “Brat Summer” was extended by Bratz and Caroline Ricke.
@richcaroline it’s a brat summer @bratz #bratz #ad #KeysxBratz ♬ original sound – Caroline Ricke
Open Influence’s team stays on top of the latest trends and is here to help you maximize your creator campaigns. Open Influence is a leading global creator marketing agency dedicated to creating engaging campaigns.
