Mobile budgets widely tipped by marketers to grow despite privacy concerns

Mobile budgets widely tipped by marketers to grow despite privacy concerns

Privacy concerns pose the biggest threat to mobile as a marketing channel, says new research from Warc and the Mobile Marketing Association. In the recent State of the Industry: Mobile Marketing in EMEA report, almost all marketers and advertising professionals (91%) are planning for increased mobile budgets in the next 12 months. Nearly half of those surveyed […]

60 Per Cent of Travel Searches Start on Mobile

60 Per Cent of Travel Searches Start on Mobile

60 per cent of all travel-related searches begin from mobile devices, with figures climbing as high as 88 per cent for certain keywords, new figures from consumer behaviour firm Hitwise have revealed. Consumers are increasingly beginning their purchase journey for holidays on mobile, and marketers’ strategies should reflect this significant shift in consumer behaviour, with […]

Facebook offers Snapchat-style photo filters

Facebook offers Snapchat-style photo filters

Less than a week after borrowing one of Snapchat’s defining features for Instagram, Facebook has looked to its younger rival for inspiration once more. Limited to Canada and Brazil for the time being, Facebook has introduced new filters which can be used to jazz up photos in various ways, such as turning faces into animations. […]

Disney Launches Kid-friendly Messaging App

Disney Launches Kid-friendly Messaging App

Disney Australia has launched its own standalone messaging app aimed at creating a family-friendly channel for kids to communicate over which integrates games and education resources. Disney Mix is approved for “4+” on the app store, and includes reminders about online safety, cyberbullying and harassment, with an integrated “Whistle” icon in all chat threads that […]

Kik Users Have Now Sent Branded Chatbots Nearly 2 Billion Messages

Kik Users Have Now Sent Branded Chatbots Nearly 2 Billion Messages

After its first few months offering dozens of chatbots, Kik says users have caught on and exchanged nearly 2 billion messages with brands, entertainment companies and publishers on the platform. According to statistics released on August 4, by the Canadian messaging app, users have exchanged 1.8 billion messages with the more than 20,000 bots created by […]

Twitter extends conversational ads to all advertisers and launches ‘Instant Unlock’ option

Twitter extends conversational ads to all advertisers and launches ‘Instant Unlock’ option

Twitter has introduced a new feature, Instant Unlock Card, to its conversational ads, which roll out to all advertisers on August 4 after a seven month beta. The social media platform first introduced conversational ads – which contain call-to-action buttons, inviting users to share personalised versions of a brand’s content with their own followers – in January, […]

QR Code-style Scannable Ads Coming to Snapchat

QR Code-style Scannable Ads Coming to Snapchat

Snapchat is reportedly developing a new ad product based on scanning print materials or another screen with the smartphone camera, QR code-style, in order to unlock content in its app. According to The Information, a potential use case would be as a way of accessing special offers. The product is set to roll out this autumn – unless […]

Flipboard Is Now Offering Vertical Video Ads That Act Like GIFs

Flipboard Is Now Offering Vertical Video Ads That Act Like GIFs

Flipboard, the mobile publishing app with 90 million monthly readers, is launching a vertical video ad unit on August 3 with independent film distributor Bleecker Street as its first buyer. On the heels of its critically acclaimed film Captain Fantastic, Bleecker Street is pushing historical thriller Anthropoid while targeting readers of politics, movies, entertainment and news. […]

Honda revs up social activations with stop-motion mobile videos

Honda revs up social activations with stop-motion mobile videos

Honda is promoting its revamped 2017 Ridgeline vehicle with a social media campaign that includes four stop-motion videos showing off its features alongside another series with a woodworking expert detailing various pieces that can fit into the vehicle’s back. The car manufacturer joined forces with Oscar-nominated stop-motion artist PES for the new integrated marketing campaign, […]