The Week in Social: Cats, Dating, and the Real-World

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Who would have guessed, Wall Street suggests online dating could be the next hot sector, and the latest estimate sees the market growing to $12 billion by 2020! But honestly, can we really say we are surprised by this? “Roughly half of internet users are single, and we estimate 20% of them will be willing to use online dating products by 2020 (up from 15% in 2015), which equates to ~310 million people globally (excluding China),” Mark Kelley, an analyst with Nomura Instinet, said.

Think about it, millennial’s make up a majority of that and they were born with tech devices in their hands, so why wouldn’t they turn to the internet for dating? It’s the only way they will really acknowledge each other, isn’t it? I mean how often do you see a group of 16-year old’s look up from their phones when they are out in a group.

Learn more on Business Insider.

No misunderstanding…

Twitter is actively trying to close the clarity gap where misinformed users take tweets out of context. They’ve recently rolled out “annotations” within Moments. Tests of this new feature have only been visible on mobile and have been seen so far on NFL and White House accounts. The annotations were first spotted by Twitter user @Kwatt and confirmed by members of the Twitter product team.

For more clarity check out TechCrunch.

What’d you say? 

Is it finally time? Will Facebook finally release the ‘unsend’ feature almost 6 months after their first announcement? We all know we’ve had that night at happy hour and sent a message we’d regret shortly after. Facebook Messenger could finally be coming to our rescue. Afterall, Mark Zuckerberg has been deleting his own messages for a while now.

Gmail also has an ‘Undo Send’ feature which lets users unsend messages within a 30-second window. The hope for Facebook’s public release comes after tipster, Jane Manchun Wong, shared prototype screen shots with TechCrunch, uncovering the unsend features. Last time she uncovered a prototype, it was publicly released shortly thereafter. Fingers crossed!

Check out TechCrunch for more.

Trending into 2019 – Instagram Style

With 2019 a mere two and a half months away, how is your marketing strategy looking? Here are 5 Instagram trends that AD Week predicts.

1. IGTV – First, if you aren’t already on it you’re behind… IGTV. It is the first platform dedicated to mobile-only viewing content. Are you on the subway right now? Look up, 85% of the people around you are probably on their phones too. Therefore, your brand needs to be there!
2. Microbrands will be dominating. While big brands have the luxury of being house-hold names, they are now being challenged by the microbrands coming in to give the consumer a more wholesome experience. Move away from the hard sell and focus your strategy on the emotional-linking of your content.
3. Story ads—a new kind of vertical advertising. All that needs to be said here is keep it short, keep it clean. You should already know the value that a story holds.
4. Ecommerce shops — just another way microbrands are taking over the channel!
5. Engagement features — we’ve already seen brands using polls and question stickers, but the never-ending release of new options brands will have a whole new way to personalize engagement with users.

Check out ADWeek for full insights.

Real World Re-Do – Facebook Watch

Over a year after releasing Facebook Watch, Facebook is now launching their first tent-pole series with a remake of MTV series, The Real World, 26 years later! Facebook’s partnership with MTV and Real World-creator, Bunim/Murray Productions, is one of many announcements made at the MIPCOM TV industry trade show around original video content.

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Facebook told TechCrunch, “We will work with local partners in international markets to create versions of the HQ Trivia-style live video game show where players compete through their phones to win cash prizes. EMEA, APAC and LATAM editions of Confetti will launch by the end of this year.” Now that Facebook’s ad breaks are running in 25 countries, they are about to focus on monetizing Watch and recouping its content investments. They are hoping the name brand of The Real World is what really gets it going. Facebook has signed on for three different one season runs of 12 episodes of the show localized for the US, Mexico, and Thailand.

For more check out TechCrunch.

No Cat Left Behind…

What a day to be alive, Snapchat turns to cats as their savior… After losing 1.2 million users due to the redesign last November, they think cat filters are what’s going to save them? Hmm…. I’ve learned to never under-estimate a cat lover or a millennial so let’s see. Maybe they will be Snapchat’s saving grace… What’s your vote?

Check it out on TechSpot.