Visual content is everywhere, and measurement and optimization are starting to catch up. Netflix already knows which pictures you’ll click on and why, and blogged some lessons learned — including the value of regional nuance, and of recognizable, polarizing characters. As a travel geek, I loved this compilation of 16 apps that will help you travel the world. Some …
Friday 5 — 4.8.2016
Live video is becoming more popular from breaking news coverage to ordinary, slice-of-life broadcasts. Try this new Facebook Live map to see real-time videos now playing worldwide. Reddit has launched its first official apps for iOS and Android. Popular subreddit communities like /r/science already drive a fair amount of traffic to news and edu sites; reliable native mobile apps …
Friday 5 — 4.1.2016
If the headlines you scroll through in your Facebook or Twitter feed seem remarkably similar, there’s a good reason for that. This Buzzsumo post on how to write viral headlines identifies the common elements that lead to successful reach. Low-res live video captured via mobile was all the rage last year with Meerkat and then Periscope, and recently Facebook Live videos seem …
Friday 5 — 3.25.2016
Scott Brinker has released the 2016 marketing technology landscape diagram, mapping 3,874 solutions into six capability categories (shows above). The slide shows that “one platform to rule them all” has not yet emerged — middleware is enabling greater integration among them. When building a digital product, it’s easy for teams from marketing to development to get atomized and …
Friday 5 — 2.19.2016
Can’t find the right words for your tweet? GIF search is rolling out to Twitter users for both tweets and direct messages. Giphy’s new $55M funding round seems to confirm that GIFs are taking over the world. In mid-April, Facebook will open up Instant Articles, a format that loads articles within the app more quickly than traditional links, to all …
Friday 5 — 1.8.2016
A lot of 2016 predictions, including Fred Wilson’s excellent list, mention consumer adoption of virtual reality (VR) games and apps. This week, Oculus announced a March release date and a price point just shy of $600. The New York Public Library, often a leader in digital, has released more that 187,000 digitized images in the public domain. You …
Friday 5 — 12.11.2015
Uber expands into food delivery as a standalone app with the launch of UberEats. Debuting in Canada, the app will compete with existing services like Seamless and Postmates, and reflect Uber’s trademark simplicity by offering only five meal choices. You may have noticed a few changes this week to your social media feeds. Facebook now serves up relevant stories when …
Friday 5 — 12.4.2015
Nike shoes, Star Wars droids, and hoverboards were among the popular products shopped for on Black Friday. If you were shopping from the comfort of your couch, you were in good company: Smartphone sales nearly doubled year over year, from 9.1% to 15.2 %. Read the full report PDF, and ignore Wired’s snark that Cyber …
Friday 5 — 10.30.2015
In the early 90s, corporate marketing departments produced physical brand books, illustrating dos and don’ts for print, TV, signage, trade shows, etc. Fast forward a couple of decades, and the digital world requires a wide-ranging brand treatment that enables variations in volume, and concepts like stacking. See this gorgeous Netflix brand rollout for a best-in-class example. I’m a longtime …
Friday 5 — 9.25.2015
Facebook has already established itself as a formidable video-serving rival to YouTube. This week, with the help of its Oculus acquisition, Facebook launched 360 degree videos — click and drag the video above to see what is now possible. This interactivity is terrific for all kinds of immersive experiences from tours to product demos, as well as myriad off-label …