The end of September already? We can’t believe it! But here we are and that means it’s time for the next instalment of our monthly Marketing Round-Up!
The end of September already? We can’t believe it! But here we are and that means it’s time for the next instalment of our monthly Marketing Round-Up!
So, let’s dive into some of our favourite marketing news stories from September.
Facebook introduced 3 new interactive ad solutions
In their recent blog post, Facebook talked about a shift in digital marketing techniques where content creators are encouraging more interaction from users. Instead of digital marketing being a one-way push communication from brands to people as it has been before, brands and people are becoming more intertwined to produce more of a what we’d call a creative dialogue.
Luckily for marketeers like us, Facebook have made it even easier to get audiences involved in the discussion with the introduction of three new interactive ad solutions.
- Video poll ads are now available to all brands, working much like the poll stickers previously introduced on the Facebook-owned platform, Instagram.
- Playable ads are now available to all brands too, where users can play a game designed as part of the advertisement. Vans used a playable ad where users could guide Vans icon, Steve Van Doren, down a mountain with the aim of collecting gifts on the way down.
- Augmented reality ads are set to begin open beta testing too. Exciting!
Facebook have revealed that brands who’ve already had access to the new ad types have enjoyed increased brand awareness and conversions. Great stuff! We can’t wait to be able to get even more creative with Facebook advertising.
Facebook Dating
Facebook’s had a busy month! Back in May 2018, they announced they were developing ‘Facebook Dating’ and since then it’s been released in a select few countries for beta testing. Now, the dating function has been rolled out across the US and we’ve heard a lot more about the service! Here’s a quick overview of the logistics:
- Facebook Dating users get to create a separate dating profile to their original Facebook profile
- The service is provided within the same Facebook app, it’s not a new release
- The service has the intention of getting you to meet new people, so it doesn’t enable you to connect with people you’re already friends with on Facebook. Plus, it ensures you match with people with similar interests. After all, Facebook already has all the data to be able to do this (which is a bit scary to think about but hey ho!)
- It’ll be integrated with the Facebook-owned platform, Instagram, to provide a ‘Secret Crush’ service where you can choose a list of people you know you ‘like’ and match with them if you’re also on their list
- It offers the ability to share location data and date plans with certain friends
One concern that has been raised though, is around on the privacy of the service, which isn’t hugely shocking given Facebook’s poor track record. We’ll be interested to see if Facebook Dating takes off – it makes sense but we’re not holding our breath!
Cadbury’s Donated Their Words for Age UK
The ‘Donate Your Words’ campaign is a joint venture between Cadbury’s and Age UK with the aim of fighting loneliness. According to Age UK, there’s a loneliness crisis in the UK; 1.4 million older people struggle with loneliness and as many as 225, 000 of these people go a whole week without speaking to anyone!
Not only do we support the cause of the campaign, but we think the marketing is super clever. Cadbury’s ‘donated’ the words on their packaging to the cause, leaving it strikingly blank with only their iconic logo left, for the first time ever.
The packaging relies on the pure strength of their branding to allow the product to be recognised, and goes to show how strong it is! Plus, for every bar bought, Cadbury’s donated 30p to Age UK to help them on their mission to combat loneliness in older people.
Morrisons chose digital marketing
We’re always singing the praises of digital marketing because we see how influential it can be every single day. But if you don’t want to take it from us, take it from Morrisons! They’ve decided to shift more of their marketing spend from traditional media to digital media, claiming they will get more out of it, whilst spending less.
Burger King and McDonalds joined forces
Burger King launched their ‘Day Without a Whopper’ campaign this month to support children with cancer. They showed solidarity in stopping selling their signature ‘Whopper’ burger for a day to instead direct people to buy a Big Mac. Usually, it would be a questionable marketing move to send your customers directly to your competitor, but McDonald’s were raising funds for children with cancer from sales of Big Macs.
The campaign definitely got people talking across social media, so if nothing else, they’ve succeeded in helping to raise funds for an incredible cause as well as increasing brand awareness. Most people were impressed by the commitment to the cause, but some questioned the motive and suggested if they really cared about the charity, they’d donate money from their own sales. There are always some (McDonald’s) party poopers out there!
Do McDonald’s still even do birthday parties or have I just showed my age there…
Get creative with your own marketing
We’re always up for a chat about how you can make the most out of your marketing! Send us a quick email to hello@vidacreative.co.uk or give us a call on 0191 691 129.