So, it’s June and I have no idea how that happened. I swear, the time keeps flying faster and faster. I have some good stuff for you this week from the Interwebs. Snapchat has a new lens that reacts to sound, the GIF sticker trend is catching on, and a clear sign that social media has solidified itself in the ad industry. Read on.
Social nets update stuff
Well, this is kind of interesting. Snap (Snapchat’s parent company) has launched a startup accelerator program called “Yellow.” The plan is to invest in new media content creators through the program by funding startup teams and mentoring them in the art of mobile storytelling.
Even more interesting is Snapchat’s first Lens that reacts to sound. The Lens is an animal mask that users can overlay on their selfies, with ears that glow and pulse and eyes that move based on the sounds it hears. And apparently, they’re coming out with more soon. WUT.
Twitter has started recruiting publishers to take part in a pilot programmatic ad network that will place ads in Twitter Timelines embedded on publishers’ sites. Depending on how the pilot program does, the new Timeline Ad network may help Twitter appear to advertisers wanting more programmatic ad opportunities, while giving publishers the opportunity to earn ad revenue.
Adobe does stuff
Hungry? Time for a take-out challenge! We’re asking users to design their own restaurant takeout packaging box in Illustrator and Dimension for a chance to win an iPad Pro. Tell yo’ kids. Tell yo’ wife.
Other brands do stuff
Okay, so first of all, I have eaten my fair share of sharp cheddar and have never experienced “cheese dreams.” Alas, according to U.K. cheese brand Pilgrim’s Choice, I seem to be in the minority. And they took these #cheesedreams and built a full on campaign — including turning fans’ submissions into animated shorts. It’s a weird scene.
Welp, it looks like advertisers have caught onto the GIF sticker trend…in a big way. Brands like Pepsi, Jolly Rancher, Bud Light, T-Mobile, Gucci, and more have all launched partnerships with Giphy to create their own GIF stickers that consumers can access via Snapchat and Instagram Stories to layer over their social posts. The primary goal here is to push these brands into day-to-day communications among consumers.
Interesting stuff
This year’s Cannes Lions festival will, for the first time, award Social and Influencer Lions — what some might argue as a clear sign that social media marketing has solidified itself in the ad industry and deserves respect for its contribution to creativity. My personal favorite quote in this opinion piece: “The addition of the Social and Influencer category is a massive nod to what social media has done for creativity — not only democratizing it, but in acting as an incubator for it and, most important, propelling it forward.” Go team.