Digital marketing
The latest marketing sensation on the ByteDance-owned app isn't a newfangled piece of technology or Gen Z friendly direct-to-consumer brand, but rather references a 14-year-old Starburst commercial that stars an odd "Little Lad" — an adult dressed in antiquated schoolboy attire who does an increasingly shrill song-and-dance routine for what was then a new Berries and Cream flavor. Executives suggested Berries and Cream's resurgence extends beyond mere consumer nostalgia, as many TikTok users eager to post their own take on the jig were likely still in diapers when the 2007 campaign launched (the app is particularly popular with teens). Starburst has quickly capitalized on the cultural buzz by releasing a Halloween costume based on the character portrayed by actor Jack Ferver.
While Google and Facebook dominate as top personalized ad options for sound reasons, newer platforms may possess unique selling points. Snapchat uses immersive advertising to build an engaged community of consumers while TikTok is the premier destination for Gen Z. But little discussed is that duopoly rivals such as Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter simply lack the core digital ad capabilities that have made Google and Facebook so dominant. Google and Facebook are the masters of dynamic product ads (which allow for bottom-of-funnel personalization) with customizable dynamic creative capabilities.
Campbell's has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG) on a series of specially marked soup cans that unlocks songs and additional content via QR codes. At select retailers in the U.S., Campbell's red and white cans will have a "M'm! M'm! Records" label and a QR code that leads consumers to recipes, behind-the-scenes content and playlists that feature newly recorded songs from UMG artists, with one song released weekly through Nov. 5. To extend the effort, the brand will also launch the Sounds Good Tonight SoundCloud contest on Nov. 15. Customers can submit cooking-inspired songs for a chance to partner with Campbell's and win $20,000.
48% of consumers in the UK plan to shop exclusively online ub the run up to Christmas 2021. A survey of more than 1,000 consumers by recommendation platform Outbrain revealed that only 6% of consumers plan to shop exclusively in-store. The news comes as the UK high street attempts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic by encouraging consumers to return to bricks and mortar shops. Brand values will also play a role informing the brand that consumers purchase. According to Outbrain's survey, 49% say their decision is based on how easy the brand is to find.
While the crumbling third-party cookie – combined with privacy-centric gatekeeping policies imposed by the likes of Apple, Facebook and Google – diminishes advertisers' ability to reach target audiences across the digital ecosystem, the connected television (CTV) space has a valuable opportunity to evolve to meet advertisers' needs. The widespread shift toward data privacy-centric policies in the tech space has left advertisers at a loss. However, with viewership numbers rising, measurement improving and a proliferation of major platforms in the space, the burgeoning world of CTV is the next frontier for effective advertising.
EdTech
Платформа ImpactFuture объявила о старте первого инвестиционного импакт-конкурса для EdTech-компаний. Принять участие могут проекты с выручкой более $1 млн в год, которые готовы решить проблему дефицита квалификаций. Об этом RB.ru сообщил представитель платформы. Задача первого конкурса ImpactFuture — дать профессиональные навыки 100 тысячам жителей за пределами мегаполисов.
В последнее время индустрия EdTech стала очень конкурентной. Несколько глобальных трендов в образовании, возникших вследствие пандемии:
  • Вырос спрос на инструменты быстрого обучения. Больше нет смысла делать серьезные вложения в большие обучающие программы, поскольку все слишком быстро меняется.
  • Увеличилась и потребность в интерактивных онлайн-инструментах, помогающих взаимодействовать друг с другом через платформу.
  • Появилась необходимость в интеграции инструментов для проведения онлайн-тренингов вместо оффлайн-занятий.
Также по ссылке игроки EdTech-сферы рассказывают, в чем специфика работы над образовательным продуктом.
A new startup wants to shake up the textbook market by making it easier for professors to adopt courseware created at colleges and universities rather than by commercial textbook publishers. It's solution: Create a new marketplace where instructors can find them. Namely, it wants to help build an open-source system that lets professors piece together online course materials from a variety of sources, and also offer their own materials for sale to colleagues around the world.
Students do have digital skills, but not necessarily the digital literacy they need to do their schoolwork. Sometimes what they know from using consumer sites transfer—like Zoom, for instance—but not always. "Sometimes it's not even that actual writing process that's causing students the challenge. It's the time that it takes for them to type on a keyboard because they're not used to five-finger typing". "Some [teachers] have students who have written full essays on their phones." There's a difference in the way students use a device to scroll through YouTube videos versus understanding the information delivered in a lesson. The first is passive, and the other requires careful engagement.
India has the potential to become the edtech capital of the world with the private sector playing a key role and the government or the public sector acting as a facilitator, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said.
"India needs to significantly improve its learning outcomes and technology can help us leapfrog in a big way".
Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote to Mark Zuckerberg Wednesday, calling on the Facebook CEO or the head of Instagram to testify on the platform's harms on children. Citing internal company documents leaked by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, Blumenthal wrote that Facebook "appears to have concealed vital information from us about teen mental health and addiction. When I sought specific information about Instagram and teens in an August letter, Facebook provided clearly evasive and misleading answers that have now been directly disputed by Ms. Haugen".
Smartphone design hasn't varied much in years and customers are typically beholden to whatever decisions manufacturers make. But during a virtual press event on Wednesday, Samsung aimed to change that with a concept that makes users part of the design process. The company showed off a made-to-order version of its Flip 3 smartphone that allows people to pick from a handful of design options that may reflect their personality or taste. It's possible to choose frame options of black or silver, select various colors (blue, yellow, white, pink or black) for its front and back panels, or go for a stripes pattern.
Facebook is planning to rebrand itself with a new name focused on the metaverse, as the tech giant comes under fire from regulators around the world over its business practices. The company plans to announce the new name next week, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Facebook wants to be known for more than social media, according to the tech publication.
When you see a 3D image of a real person in a video game or as a visual effect in a movie, that virtual human has usually been constructed through an intricate process known as "volumetric capture". The process is carried out by technicians in a professional studio — both time-consuming and expensive. But this could be about to change, as Irish startup Volograms has made the process available to anyone with an iPhone via its free app Volu.