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Nike’s One-Day Snapchat Release Gives World Cup Fans Exclusive Merch Access

           Snapchat is becoming a go to for virtual clothing trials. Nike is taking advantage of that and using the platform to drive engagement and promote exclusive merchandise drops. On May 9th, paired with an exclusive filter, Nike let Snapchat users virtually try on U.S. Women’s Soccer gear as well as clickthrough to buy it. The filter lasted for 24 hours and was a promotion for the 2019 Women’s World Cup kit. Fans could choose between the home and away versions of the U.S. jerseys, and then click on to Nike’s website to purchase it.

           This isn’t the first time Nike has used Snapchat to promote their product lines. In 2018, Nike used the platform to promote a pair of sneakers, the Air Jordan III “Tinker.” That campaign proved successful, as the shoe sold out within 23 minutes. Nike hopes that using Snapchat’s AR capabilities will help it remain connected to an enthusiastic and engaged customer source.

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Instagram Blocks Vaccine Hoax Hashtags

Instagram is set to begin blocking hashtags that are being used to spread verifiably false information about vaccinations. The platform already blocks hashtags such as “#vaccinescauseautism” but is now working on blocking more general hashtags that are being spread by so-called anti-vaxxers. However, Instagram is keeping up several anti-vaccine accounts that spread misinformation and hoaxes.

           Instagram has stated that it won’t take action against people or accounts that identify as anti-vaxxers but is working to limit the spread of provably false claims that will have real-world harmful effects on the general public. Using data from the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify hoaxes.

           Hashtags such as “#vaccinescauseaids” and “#vaccinesarepoison” are already banned and have no search results when looked up. Now, the platform is going to target a much broader scope. For example, if accounts started to use “#vaccines1234” to spread false claims, that hashtag would also be blocked.

           The topic is going to prove difficult to police. Accounts and people will not be banned, but even neutral or pro-vaccine hashtags are being used to spread false anti-vax information. Instagram is also considering implementing educational pop up messages to people that are searching for vaccine related hoaxes. The World Health Organization has said anti-vaccine views were a "top 10 global health threat" in 2019.

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Facebook: Merging News Feed & Stories into One?

Facebook is testing a newly redesigned app for the platform in which the News Feed and Stories feature will be integrated into one feed that users will tap through, similar to Snapchat and Instagram stories now. Currently, the News Feed and Stories features exist as their own distinct interfaces on the app. Users have to scroll down to move through the New Feed or tap the circles near the top of the app screen to view stories.

Although first unpopular when launched in 2017, Facebook predicts that the Stories feature will surpass the News Feed in popularity & use by the end of 2019. In September of 2018, Facebook said that Messenger & Stories have about 300 million daily active users between them.

Currently, the feature is not being publicly tested. Since it is still in the development stages, it is uncertain if it will ever be released. Last year, Facebook experimented with a horizontal feed interface for Instagram that proved to be highly unpopular among users. It was initially claimed to be a “small test” but the company later walked back on that statement and called it a “bug.”

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Snapchat Losing U.S. Users for The First Time Ever

For the first time since its introduction, Snapchat’s monthly user count is set to decline in the According to industry analyst EMarketer, U.S. Snapchat will average 77.5 million monthly users in 2019, a 2.8% decline from 2018. One of the main causes believed to result in the decline is Snapchat’s redesign of the app. The research company also predicts that Snapchat’s user base will level off in 2020.

Snapchat itself, however, has fought back against those claims. The company said that EMarketer’s forecast is flawed. Snapchat says that they haven’t factored in recent developments such as the redesign of the Android app, or that their own reference statement released in February of this year saying that they don’t expect a decline of daily users in the first quarter of 2019.

Last year, Snapchat suffered from executive turnover and faced backlash due to another unpopular redesign. Many users weren’t a fan of how Snapchat had decided to integrate the stories and chat function together. In just a few months, Snapchat had scaled back some of the new features due to the intense backlash. Competition from Instagram also proved to be a factor in the decline. With Instagram copying Snapchat’s stories feature, it lured away users due to its simple interface and smoother integration.

EMarketer’s forecast may ruin the optimism that Wall Street has been having for Snapchat over the last year. Shares have more than doubled for the company over the last year, and their market capitalization reached over $16 billion. Fourth quarter results of 2018 exceeded expectations and showed stabilization in user numbers. The increase in value was also attributed to a newly implemented expanded advertising network, improved augmented reality and camera features, the new video-game service, and original shows.

Increased competition from new and existing social media platforms will be Snapchat’s biggest challenge to overcome. It is also partly to blame for Snapchat’s current forecasted decline. As users leave Snapchat, a majority of them they will go to Instagram, according to EMarketer senior analyst Jasmine Enberg.

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Snapchat’s U.K. Slump

The United Kingdom is Snapchat’s second most important market, after The United States. However, the company is unable to convince advertisers to buy into ad space on their platform. Advertisers within the country remain unconvinced that Snapchat will be able to bring them a better return on their investment than Facebook and Instagram.

One of the main causes of this issue is the slowly growing user base. From 2017 to 2019, the amount of active monthly users only increased from 11.2 million to 14.8 million. Even with an advantage of the majority of that user base being young (18-24), advertisers still don’t see the app as having a big enough market for them.

Another issue that advertisers face on Snapchat is that ads remain easily skippable. Low visibility rates are unattractive to the advertisers. One marketing manager even reported seeing rates in the single digits. Snapchat plans to release an update later in the year that would make ads un-skippable, but for now, that will remain an unattractive topic.

Looking towards the future, advertisers see Snapchat moving in the right direction, although slowly. With the implementation of un-skippable ads, as mentioned before, and competitive CPM’s, will prove attractive to prospective advertisers. With CPM’s being almost 50% cheaper than those on Facebook, it can prove to be a selling point to ad buyers. Although the low price is mostly driven by a small, but loyal audience, as we move into the future and Snapchat starts to hopefully take off in regard to the advertising market, it can prove to be a key starting point for businesses that believe in the platforms future.

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Insta-Shopping: Instagram’s Newest Feature

On March 19th, 2019, Instagram introduced another new feature to their platform. Users can now buy products from more than 20 brands without having to leave the app. Since 2017, the app has allowed companies to place “product tags” in their posts, which would lead users to the company website where they can purchase the item.

The way the new process works is that when users go to tap on a product to see the details, there will be an option to “check out on Instagram.” Users will be able to enter their billing and shipping information, which will be stored for future purchases. Users will also be able to track their orders. The process is designed to be easy and encourage impulse shopping.

The feature is only enabled for 22 brands at the moment, including luxury fashion brands such as Prada and Balmain, as well as more affordable brands H&M and Zara. The new feature is mainly geared towards women at the moment, as seven of the 22 brands sell only makeup, including Kylie Jenner’s brand Kylie Cosmetics.

According to Instagram, 80% of users follow at least one business account, and as of 2018, there were more than 25 million business accounts on the platform. Instagram plans to incorporate a “selling fee” in order to “offset transaction-related expenses.” There was a rumor last September that Instagram would create their own shopping app called IG Shopping, which would allow users to shop directly within that app instead of the Instagram app. At the moment, it’s not clear if Instagram is still going to move ahead with that idea or incorporate this new idea within the app instead.

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Twitter Usage is Down… But Ad Revenue is Up

In February, Twitter released their 2018 year-end report. The report noted that although their monthly active user numbers are down, ad revenue for the company has increased. In the fourth quarter, the company reported 321 million active users, down from 330 million in 2017. However, Twitter says they’re going to be ditching relying on the monthly active user metric and instead use a Monetizable Daily Active User count.

The Monetizable Daily Active User counter will be a more effective way to measure the number of users for stakeholders and advertisers on the platform. The basis of the new system is to measure the number of users seeing advertisements across the platform. Using the new system, Twitter reports that the Monetizable Daily Active User counter recorded 126 million interactions with advertisements in the fourth quarter of 2018. In the same period during 2017, only 115 million users were recorded interacting with advertisements. Under this new system it’s clear to see that even though Twitter’s active user base is declining, there is still a significant and increasing market for advertisers to enter.

Twitter has also shown other positive signs of growth.  The company reported a 25% increase in year over year revenue. Net income was $1.2 billion, a good sign for the company considering they posted a loss in the previous year. They also hired 550 additional people. These are healthy signs for any company eyeing the advertising market on the platform. It shows that the company still has a strong influence.

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Social Sweet Tooth: Influencer’s Effect on Kid’s Diets

Almost every kid is on social media today. Platforms like YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram allow them an easy way to find their favorite people, celebrities, and topics to follow within seconds. The individuals running these accounts actively share posts about things going on in their lives such as vacations, food they’re eating, etc. However, as kids dream to have lives similar to the people they follow, it can actually be negatively impacting their diets.

Anna Coates, a doctoral student in the School of Psychology at the University of Liverpool in the U.K., conducted a study on 176 children ages 9 to 11. Divided up into 3 groups, the kids were shown real YouTube videos posted by popular vloggers. The first group viewed videos about iPhone’s and sneakers, the second viewed videos of the vloggers eating healthy snacks, and the third group was shown a video of the vloggers consuming junk food.

           After viewing the videos, the children were given 10 minutes to choose between healthy snacks or junk food. The researchers found that viewing the healthy snack videos did not significantly impact what or how much the children chose to eat. However, the children that viewed videos of junk food being eaten consumed 32% more calories than the other two groups, which translated into an extra 90 calories per day.

In conclusion of their research, Coates and her colleagues hope to see food marketing restrictions applied to new forms of digital marketing. They see social media as a place where vulnerable young people can easily be influenced. Parents should talk to their children about what they’re going to be consuming. By informing their children on what’s nutritious and what isn’t, it will keep them healthy and hopefully make them feel less pressured to be like their favorite social media stars.

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Skating Around Snapchat: NHL Glides into Deal

The National Hockey League has just scored one of the biggest goals of the year. Launching on February 23rd, 2019, North America’s professional ice hockey league will initiate a “Weekly Highlights” show on Snapchat spanning multiple seasons. The show will present viewers with the top 10 plays of the previous week and showcase posts from their official “Our Stories” (user posted content) during select games and flagship events. Each season viewers will have access to at least 15 specially curated stories, allowing them to enjoy the experience and excitement through their phone. In doing so, the NHL will be the first pro sports association to engage with fans on the platform in this manner.

In the fourth quarter of 2018, Snapchat reported 186 million daily users. Having access to that large of an audience, the NHL is seizing the opportunity to not only reach their fans currently on the platform, but to also capture the interest of new ones as well. With plans to have the content available worldwide, the NHL has the potential to go from predominately a North American tradition to a global phenomenon. NHL Chief Marketing Officer Heidi Browning sees the opportunity that “Snap is always innovating, and they recognize that the generation that uses their products demands new feature sets.”

Another core aspect of Snapchat that the NHL has taken an chance to sink their blades into is the wildly popular Bitmoji avatar creator and the unique Geofilter function. Each of the 31 teams within the NHL will receive their own Bitmoji outfit that users can dress their avatar up in, and each home team arena will get their own special Geofilter design. It is estimated that each day, about 60% of the Snaps sent between users include at least one Bitmoji, Geofilter, or both. As fans are snapping selfies to their friends and posting pictures to their Snap Stories, it offers not only the NHL as a whole exposure to a wide group of potential fans but each specific team gets free publicity as well. 

Thinking into the future, Snapchat and the NHL may have just opened up a new door into the social media marketing world for professional sports teams and organizations. A majority of sports teams in the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc. already have official Snap accounts where they post behind the scenes looks into practices and game highlights as they’re happening. However, what they don’t have is their own Snap show that users will have continual access to. As the NHL leads the way with this innovative new experience, it is a safe bet to believe that as we continue throughout 2019 we will see more professional sports teams and organizations adopt this new and exciting way to connect with their diehard fans, and hopefully pick up some new ones along the journey as well.

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Million Dollar Posts: How Celebrities Rake It In On Instagram

Just about everybody has an Instagram account these days. We use these accounts to follow our favorite celebrities, sports teams, and pages that post photos related to our personal interests. Occasionally, celebrities or other accounts with large followings will use their platform to promote a product or service, whether it’s through a post that appears on their feed or on their Instagram Story. Of course, this type of promotion is not free. The amount of followers and active engagement the account has is the main factor in determining how much an advertisement will cost.

With over 126 million followers on the platform, is anyone surprised that Kylie Jenner reigns above all and charges a staggering $1 million dollars per paid post? Although she is not the most followed account, her overall influence is undeniable. Holding the world record for the most liked Instagram post up until January 2019, she is definitely a household name in The United States of America. On average, her posts receive well over 4 million likes. That amount of exposure and engagement will make any company looking to reach a massive audience drool.  One company that she frequently works with is SugarBearHair. She promotes the company’s vitamins to her massive following by posting a picture of herself holding the bottle in one hand, and vitamin in the other. As their company account has over 2.3 million followers, it’s safe to say that their campaigns with her have been successful.

Coming in second place is musician & actress Selena Gomez. At a price of $800,000 per post, Selena will be more than happy to promote your product or service to her 145 million Instagram followers. Although her career started on Barney & Friends, she rose to international fame for her role on the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place. Having multiple hit songs on charts all around the world, it comes as no surprise that she’s built up a mammoth following on Instagram. Previously, she has been the face of a campaign with athletic apparel company Puma and luxury goods company Coach. For the Puma campaign, Selena posted both photos and videos of herself wearing or working out in the apparel to grab consumers attention. In the Coach campaign, she successfully designed her own line of clothes and promoted it to her followers. With her posts receiving an average of 7 million likes, Selena can be comfortable knowing that if she ever wants a break from making music or acting, she can still make a fortune just by posting on Instagram.

Rounding out the top three on the list is professional football (soccer) player Cristiano Ronaldo. With 153 million followers on Instagram, he is the most followed person on the platform. If a company is looking to get their product promoted to as many people on the platform as possible, it’s going to cost them $750,000 per post. As one of the most famous professional sports players in the world, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. While Cristiano frequently uses his Instagram to promote his own lines of products, such as his fragrances and clothing lines, he also promotes for outside brands as well. The most recent advertisement he posted was for SIXPAD, a workout device one wears to help them target muscle training. The company appears to be relatively new as it holds a small following of 23,000 on Instagram. However, Cristiano has worked with SIXPAD in the past and therefore it’s likely that there’s an established brand deal between the two.