Week of Oct 3 - Oct 7

All Hands on deck! The NBX Pulse is back! Meta continues to churn & change, social prepares for holidays & elections, and we surface industry gems & insights for you to chew. Get your weekly download today!

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⚡️ Platform Updates:

• TikTok’s Taking a New Approach to Promoting its Live Stream Shopping Tools in the US - Link: After scaling back its live commerce push in Europe, due to various teething problems TikTok’s now taking a new approach in the US, where it will reportedly partner with established live shopping network TalkShopLive to boost awareness of its shopping broadcasts.
• Instagram Tests Out New Ad Options, Including Explore Placement and Interactive AR Displays - Link: Instagram has announced that it’s testing out some new ad options, in the hopes of maximizing its revenue intake, while also providing new opportunities for brands.
• Instagram Expands Test of Multiple Links in User Bios - Link: Instagram has expanded access to a new option which enables some creators to add multiple links to their IG bio, as a means to help expand their business-building potential in the app.
• Meta Announces New Privacy-Focused Ad Targeting Solutions, Improvements in Automated Targeting - Link: With Apple’s ATT data privacy update changing the game for app-based advertisers - Meta has outlined a range of new ad measures, beginning with a new element within its Advantage ad suite, which incorporates Meta’s various ad automation and AI-based tools.
• Meta Shares Insights into How Consumers View the Next Big Tech Shifts, Including the Metaverse - Link: The metaverse does not technically exist yet - and it has become such a vague term, incorporating so many different tech elements, that it’s hard to say what people really understand about it. With that in mind, it will be hard to discern what this new survey data from Meta actually means, in a broader marketing context.
• Meta Announces 2022 Facebook Communities Summit Event - Link: Meta has announced the date for its 2022 Facebook Communities Summit, with a virtual event scheduled for October 20th, in which Meta will bring together moderators from various Facebook groups to provide key insights and tips, while also sharing previews of upcoming groups tools and features.
• Twitter Launches First Stage of the Live Roll Out of Tweet Editing - Link: Twitter has finally launched the first stage of the roll-out of its new tweet editing feature, with Twitter Blue subscribers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand now able to revise their tweeted content for 30 minutes after posting.
• Twitter Tests New Tweet View Count Display to Better Highlight Content Reach - Link: Twitter has launched a public test of a new ‘Views’ count on some users’ tweets, which displays the total number of times that each of your tweets was seen in the app.

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💡 Industry News & Highlights:

• How brands like Pepsi and American Eagle are investing in original sound marketing on TikTok - Link: Companies have begun developing their own original TikTok sounds in the hopes of going viral.
• Instagram Shares New Tips on How to Use Instagram Reels for Marketing - Link: As part of its new series of updated how-to guides, Instagram has also launched a new, 23-page overview of how brands can use Instagram Reels for promotion and community building, which includes a range of key tips and notes on effective Reels usage.
• Snapchat Says that Even Basic AR Executions Can Drive Audience Response - Link: The use of AR is growing, with Snapchat reporting that over 250 million of its users – or 72% of its active user base - engage with AR elements in the app every day.
• How Wawa gained 2.6M social media followers - Link: Wawa has stepped up its social media strategy in recent years, and in the process has gained 2.6 million followers and 2.5 million monthly engagements across all of its platforms.
• Burger King Dusts Off An Old Jingle and Reveals a New Tagline - Link: The burger chain is debuting its new brand positioning with a “You Rule” tagline while giving a new take on its old “Have It Your Way” jingle.
• All Twitter users in the US will start to see crowdsourced fact checks on tweets - Link: Birdwatch invites a small pool of Twitter users to contribute notes to tweets to add context. The program has slowly expanded to now include all US users.
• Crisis and listening now top PR skills hierarchy - Link: While writing is still important, PRWeek’s latest in-depth research shows it has dropped to third place in the skills league table.
• Google Maps making a “Vibe check” of Cities and Neighborhood before you go - Link: Announced on the company’s blog - the new ‘Neighborhood Vibe’ feature can scan areas unfamiliar to you and share what the area feels like. It will also recommend spots that are off the beaten path.
• Vizio Ads Pulls In $200M In Upfront TV Commitments - Link: Vizio Ads -- the smart TV advertising-sales platform -- says it has finished making upfront TV advertising "commitments" totaling $200 million. This is for inventory to be placed for the TV season starting October 1, 2022 and running through September 30, 2023.
• West Elm to replicate furniture, decor on Roblox - Link: Extending its brand into the metaverse, West Elm has launched West Elm Home Design, a virtual environment within the international gaming platform Roblox, the retailer announced on Tuesday. The online space has a furniture store, coffee shop and merchandise boutique.
• Campaign Trail: Jersey Mike’s Subs serves up authenticity with Danny DeVito - Link: In its first work as creative AOR, Highdive keyed in on insights about what sets the QSR chain apart from competitors.

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🌊 Social Trends & Insights:

• Millennials dominate spending amid uncertain economic outlook | Holiday Outlook 2022 - Link: To find out more about their expectations and intentions for the season, PWC asked 4,000 consumers where and when they will shop and travel — as well as what drives their purchasing decisions.
• How Gen Z breaks marketing’s cultural mold - Link: In new research, Horizon Media found the group no longer believes in mainstream pop culture, pushing the industry toward levels of nuance that haven’t traditionally been its forte.
• How marketers can connect with Gen Z in emerging virtual worlds - Link: Rather than pushing commerce, metaverse-minded brands can cater to Gen Z’s preference for self-expression and community to foster loyalty.
• Let’s get real: What TikTok’s BeReal lookalike means for marketers - Link: Given TikTok’s scale, the new copycat feature could dictate whether the dual-camera, candid strategy is a niche trend or something with broad appeal.
• The $100 Sunglasses Minting Millions From 1980s Nostalgia - Link: They belong on ‘WWE Raw.’ Or in the DeLorean with Doc. Yet Pit Viper shades, with all the subtlety of a gold-sequin unitard, are netting their ski-bro founders eight figures.
• The Top TikTok Trends to Try This Week - Link: Each week, Later updates this resource with the top TikTok trends heating up on the feed, what they are, and how one can incorporate them into their strategy.
• The Top Instagram Reels Trends to Try This Week - Link: As Reels & TikTok don’t always share the same trending formats - each week, Later updates this resource with the top Instagram Reels trends gaining traction on the feed, what they are, and how one can incorporate them into their strategy.

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😎 Content Creator Updates:

• How Much Do Influencers Make in 2022? - Link: Learn how much influencers make on each social media network and how to incorporate them into your marketing strategy regardless of budget.
• Instagram Moves to Next Stage of Development with Creator ‘Media Kit’ Option - Link: Originally spotted in testing last month, Instagram has now seemingly moved to the next stage of development for the option, with a new welcome screen, and an overview of how the process will work.
• Meta Announces New Ad Options for Facebook Reels Which Could Facilitate Creator Revenue Share - Link: Meta has outlined some new Reels ad options, which will provide more capacity for brands to tap into the format, while also, ideally, providing a pathway to revenue share for top creators.
• Meta’s Got a New AI Tool that Enables Users to Make Freaky Mish-Mash Videos - Link: Meta’s new Make-A-Video AI system, enables people to turn text prompts into ‘brief, high-quality video clips’.
• The Best Instagram Reels Tips for Creators - Link: Later offers a sneak peek into their Reel Talk event & conversation series, by providing 3 powerful tips for Instagram Reels.

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💜 Other Engaging Posts of the Week:

• How Latinos are growing and reshaping the United States - Link: “The swift growth of U.S. Latinos is reshaping big states and small towns. Meet the faces of a new era.”
• AI that Generates a Custom Pokemon - Link
• Spotify Uses Midnight Listener Data re: Taylor Swift for In-Feed Content - Link: This post touches on the phenomenon of an album dropping at “midnight” for different timezones around the world - highlighting listener behavior in response to their release timing globally.
• Killed By Google - Google Graveyard - Link: Archive documenting all of the programs & products Google has canceled or sunsetted.

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