SNAPCHAT
A big advertising option just got added to Snapchat
Snapchat made a move yesterday to implement a major advertising feature it’s been testing since the spring: First Commercial.
If you’re wondering, it’s pretty self-explanatory – First Commercial is an option that guarantees your ad will be the first one that a user sees on premium Shows in Discover. First Commercial is a big-ticket item, and it might be able to help you make lasting impressions on your audience. This is WHATSnapchat announced:
- More Snapchatters are watching Shows in Discover than ever. And, being able to put your ad in front of users before anyone else can make a serious impact.
- You can run ads up to 3 minutes in length. Yeah, that’s a lot – but if you’ve got some creative ideas for long ads, it might be worth exploring!
- A new series of Snap Originals is on the way. Snapchat announced that later this year and into 2021, a new series of Originals is on the way that will increase the number of users watching Shows.
If you want to read the rest of Snapchat’s announcement, check it out here.
The Crew’s take: Snapchat has been taking steps this summer to make its platform more advertising-friendly, and they seem to be working! If you’re running a brand awareness campaign or simply want to be the first ad your audience sees, the new First Commercial feature might be one to check out.
Facebook and Instagram get festive
It’s spooky season, and yesterday both Facebook and Instagram got updates to match. Ready to use a couple of new features on Instagram and check out Messenger’s halloween update? Here’s what you need to know:
- Instagram launched Snap Map (sorry, we mean Stories Map). As part of a few celebratory updates that were released on Instagram’s birthday yesterday, Instagram is giving users a private look at where they’ve posted Stories – with a location tag – from over the years. It’s cool until you realize that Instagram is really, really good at tracking you.
- It’s time to customize. Want to go back to the retro Instagram logo? You can now do that and more, as Instagram has added a wide range of app icons that you can choose from.
- Spooky backgrounds and AR filters hit Messenger. In that Halloween mood? Messenger’s got you covered with some AR filter and 360-degree background options featuring some iconic characters.
Instagram also announced that it would be adding filters to hide potentially offensive comments – if you run a large social media page, this could be very helpful.
Though none of yesterday’s updates were hyper-focused on advertising, it’s a good reminder that Facebook is always trying to keep its users (and your customers!) engaged.
Which custom Instagram icon will you be choosing for your home screen?
MARKETING
Is this classic marketing principle dead?
A while ago, we shared a post explaining that a product-market-fit is the foundation to growing a business.
But, like true good marketers, today we’ll share something that completely challenges that idea.
The point this piece is about to make: There’s no such thing as the concept of product-market fit.
Rand Fishkin is the author of the article. And the idea is this one:
“Fit vs. non-fit isn’t how products work, and it’s not how people work, either. Consumers and businesses don’t suddenly switch from a mindset of ‘welp, this product does not fit my needs and so I will not consider it’ to ‘oh hey, this product is a fit and so I will now purchase’.”
In other words, there isn’t a concrete definition for the concept – and there are other ways to measure how well your product addresses the needs of potential users.
Rand Fishkin listed many reasons why the product-market fit concept is broken. And you can read them here, but we’ll go straight into the solution…
The obvious ways to solve the flaws are:
- Remove the concept of a binary yes or no.
- Apply a range (since any useful metric falls along a spectrum).
- Use segmentation.
Rand suggests “The Customer Adoption Spectrum.” This is how it works.
For each type of customer your product serves, establish:
- How many are reachable with your current solution. (Audience size)
- What percentage of them know about your products. (Awareness)
- What percentage of them buy your product. (Conversion rate)
Now, rather than having a concept, you have actual numbers to work with. Plus, you know what you have to improve.
Should you change your products’ features to address a bigger audience? Or, should you focus on acquiring more buyers among the audience that is already aware of your brand?
ROUNDING UP THE STACK
TIKTOK: Trouble in paradise? Not really, but TikTok is sending surveys to creators that ask them if they’re happy with the current state of affairs on the app.
FACEBOOK: The Revenue Chief at Facebook said yesterday that he believes Apple’s privacy moves are equivalent to an ‘assault’ on businesses and marketers.
TIKTOK: Yes, the TikTok deal is still a work in progress. But, it’s being reported that the app is at least safe for the next month – and likely beyond then, too.
GOOGLE: If you’re not trying out Web Stories yet, now might be a good time – Google just announced that they’re coming to Discover.
BIG TECH: U.S. Congress is calling for antitrust reform of big tech, as stated in a document released yesterday. The question now: will anything actually get done?
BRAIN TEASER
I am strong enough to smash ships, but I fear the sun. What am I?
You can find the solution here.
POOLSIDE CHAT
Cool tech, (funny) business, lifestyle and all the other things marketers like to chat about while sipping cocktails by the pool.
Don’t be a douche (bag)
It’s always entertaining when creative agencies get, well, creative.
That happened recently in Sweden, where agency Forsman & Bodenfors created a bag that they think will help people to adhere to practice social distancing.
The bag is (brilliantly) named the ‘No Douchebag,’ and passengers are encouraged to place it on the seat next to them to prevent (presumably) the douchebag type from getting too close.
The bag reads, “I’d love to sit next to you, just not right now. Thank you for keeping your distance.”
Coronavirus or not, these bags are possibly the best thing ever created for public transport. Now, we don’t need an excuse to set our backpack on the seat next to us in hopes people look elsewhere…