Instagram Launches Teen Accounts with Enhanced Safety Features
Photo Credit: Meta
September 17, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) – Instagram has introduced a new feature called "Teen Accounts" to enhance safety and privacy for teens using the platform. The update aims to provide built-in protections for users under the age of 16, addressing concerns about who teens interact with and the content they see online. The new feature also includes parental oversight, ensuring a safer and more age-appropriate experience for young users.
Instagram Teen Accounts automatically apply privacy settings that limit interactions and content exposure for teens. These protections include private accounts by default, restricted messaging options, and sensitive content controls. Teens will also be able to choose topics of interest for a more personalized and positive experience on the platform. To ensure responsible use, notifications will remind teens to log off after 60 minutes of daily use, and a sleep mode will mute notifications between 10 PM and 7 AM.
Parental involvement is a key aspect of the update. Teens under 16 will need parental permission to modify any of the built-in protections, and parents will have access to additional supervision tools, including setting time limits for daily Instagram use and blocking access during specific times.
Instagram’s Teen Accounts will be implemented within 60 days in regions such as the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, with plans to expand to the European Union and other Meta platforms in the future.
For more information on Instagram’s Teen Accounts click here.
Soure: Meta
TikTok Partners with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Becoming Official Partner of the Washington Capitals
Photo Credit: TikTok
September 11, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) – TikTok has announced a multiyear partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), making the platform the official partner of the NHL's Washington Capitals. The collaboration includes TikTok's debut on the Capitals' white road jerseys for the 2024-25 season and extends across other MSE teams, including the NBA’s Washington Wizards, WNBA’s Washington Mystics, NBA G-League’s Capital City Go-Go, and NBA2K’s Wizards District Gaming.
As part of the agreement, TikTok will be the title sponsor of the Capitals' 50th Anniversary Celebration, which will feature a variety of events commemorating five decades of Capitals hockey. TikTok branding will also be prominently featured in-arena and during Capitals' road games, beginning with the September 24th game against the Boston Bruins.
Jim Van Stone, President of Business Operations and Chief Commercial Officer at MSE, expressed excitement about the partnership, stating, “As a sports enterprise with a large and diverse fan base, we are excited to utilize TikTok to uniquely connect, entertain, and interact with fans across all of our Monumental Sports teams, starting with the Capitals' 50th Anniversary Celebration this fall. TikTok empowers our fans to share their passion for the Caps and all our teams in their own unique ways.”
TikTok’s involvement will also include the Capitals’ road game broadcasts on Monumental Sports Network and the Capitals Road to Success radio feature. The Capitals, the eighth most-followed NHL team on TikTok with over 387,000 followers, will continue to use the platform to share content highlighting players and behind-the-scenes moments.
“Monumental Sports & Entertainment is home to some of the country’s most iconic and beloved sports franchises on TikTok," said Kate Jhaveri, Global Head of Marketing at TikTok. "We couldn’t be more excited to partner with MSE as they celebrate 50 years of the Washington Capitals, and we're thrilled to be a part of their journey in bringing the joy of sports to a new generation of fans on TikTok."
The partnership is set to run through the 2026-27 season and will encompass various branding and content creation initiatives across MSE properties. TikTok becomes the Capitals’ first-ever road jersey partner, following the team’s home jersey partnership with Caesars Sportsbook announced in 2021.
For more information, visit newsroom.tiktok.com.
Source: TikTok
Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel Reflects on 13-Year Milestone in New Letter to Staff
September 3, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) – In a message to employees, Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel commemorated the company’s 13-year milestone by reflecting on its significant achievements and outlining future goals. The note highlighted Snap's recent progress, including reversing two years of declining revenue and reaching over 850 million global users, as the company continues to evolve in the competitive digital landscape.
“Thank you so much for your extraordinary efforts and dedication to our business," Spiegel wrote to the Snap team. He emphasized the company's success in building a sustainable cost structure, improving earnings and cash flow, and growing content engagement by 25% globally in the second quarter of 2024. The message came as the company works to further strengthen its advertising business and diversify revenue streams, including through its subscription service, Snapchat+.
Spiegel acknowledged the slower growth in Snap’s advertising business compared to competitors, noting that this has been a factor in the company's share price performance. However, he outlined the company's strategy to focus more on its lower funnel business, which generates more predictable revenue through smaller advertisers and direct response objectives. “Lower funnel revenue is ‘stickier’ because it is more closely tied to key business objectives and positive returns on ad spend," Spiegel explained.
Looking ahead to 2025, Spiegel said Snap will focus on accelerating growth in both upper and lower funnel businesses by introducing new ad placements like Sponsored Snaps and Promoted Places, as well as leveraging machine learning to improve ad performance and offer better insights for advertisers. “We’re going to start surfacing more unique and actionable insights to advertisers based on the diversity of engagement on Snapchat,” Spiegel noted, referencing the potential of Snap’s features like the Snap Map.
Spiegel also mentioned Snap's continued investment in augmented reality (AR) and generative AI, which have become central to the company's product strategy. These technologies are expected to further enhance user engagement and offer new opportunities for innovation on the platform.
Reflecting on the company's journey, Spiegel praised the team for navigating challenging market conditions and driving Snap’s growth over the past 13 years. "The reason that I’ve dedicated so much of my life to building Snap is because I believe deeply in the power of technology to make a positive impact in people’s lives,” he stated.
To read the full letter, click here.
Source: Snap Inc.
Pinterest Introduces New Board Sharing Feature Across Social Media Platforms
Photo Credit:
June 25, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) – Pinterest, with over half a billion monthly users and 10 billion boards globally, has launched a new feature that allows users to share videos of their Pinterest boards on social media platforms. The update enables users to share their curated inspirations while including links for others to explore the full boards on Pinterest.
"Gen Z makes up over 40% of our global monthly users on Pinterest. We are enhancing the board features based on user feedback, and board sharing is one of our critical investments", said Rachel Hardy, Director of Consumer Product Marketing at Pinterest.
The new feature is being promoted through partnerships with artists Avril Lavigne and Tierra Whack, who are sharing their personal Pinterest boards with fans, offering insights into their creative processes.
"I have been a long-time user of Pinterest," said Lavigne. "I am excited about this new way of sharing boards because the possibilities to let people into my creative process are now even easier."
Whack shared similar enthusiasm, stating, "Pinterest is a creative haven where I capture all the fascinating interests constantly swirling through my mind. My boards are a random mosaic of my creative thoughts ready to spark my imagination."
The board sharing feature simplifies the process of sharing Pinned content across various platforms and is set to increase user engagement and visibility for curated boards.
For more information, visit www.Pinterest.com.
Source: Pinterest
TikTok Shop Launches Back-to-School Campaign, Partners with National PTA
Photo Credit: TikTok
V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD, August 28, 2024, (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) - TikTok Shop has launched its Back-to-School campaign, offering exclusive deals and engaging content to help students, parents, and teachers prepare for the upcoming school year. The campaign, which featured products from top brands such as Doritos, Liquid IV, and Too Faced, as well as new launches from Bic Store and Uni Brands, ran for five days earlier this month.
The campaign resulted in significant user engagement, with 482,000 videos published and 76,000 livestreams hosted, leading to 6.3 million orders placed. The campaign also saw 2.1 million users make purchases, with 293,000 of these coming from livestream events.
In addition to its commercial success, TikTok Shop has expanded its community impact by partnering with the National PTA for their Back-to-School Week, scheduled for September 9-13. TikTok Shop is contributing a $100,000 donation to support classroom supply purchases for schools in Maryland and Washington State. Furthermore, TikTok Shop plans to provide back-to-school kits filled with items from top sellers to teachers and faculty in the Seattle region.
For more information, visit www.TikTok.com.
Source: TikTok
TikTok Launches 'Short 'N Sweet' In-App Experience to Celebrate Sabrina Carpenter's New Album
Photo Credit: Tik Tok
August 23, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) - TikTok has introduced a new in-app experience called "Short 'N Sweet" to celebrate the release of Sabrina Carpenter's sixth studio album. This global initiative invites fans to engage with exclusive content and participate in interactive tasks related to the album.
The "Short 'N Sweet" experience offers fans the opportunity to be featured in TikTok’s official Fan Spotlight carousel. By completing five interactive tasks, users can unlock an exclusive profile frame, further immersing themselves in the album's theme. Additionally, fans can use a special Short 'N Sweet TikTok effect designed for this event. For inspiration, users are encouraged to visit Carpenter’s TikTok page to see her latest content.
To join the experience, users can search for "Short 'N Sweet" or "Sabrina Carpenter" on TikTok, or interact with the video anchor featured alongside Carpenter’s content. Fans who comment on videos using the hashtags #SabrinaCarpenter or #ShortNSweet will see a pop-up animation guiding them to the experience.
Sabrina Carpenter, who has been active on TikTok since 2019, currently has 19.1 million followers and 274.4 million likes on her content. Earlier this year, her hit song "Espresso" inspired over 1.2 million creator videos. More recently, her track "Please, Please, Please" generated over 6.3 million creator videos, 25 billion views, and landed at #6 on TikTok’s Songs of the Summer 2024 list.
New to TikTok and want to explore all things #ShortNSweet? Getting involved couldn’t be easier, simply download the app for free via the Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon. - Tik Tok
Source: TikTok
Threads Introduces New Web Features for Creators and Businesses
Photo Credit: Meta
Calif., August 16, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) – Meta has announced the launch of several new features for its Threads platform, aimed at enhancing the experience for creators and businesses. These updates, initially available on the web, include insights, multiple drafts, and scheduling functions, designed to help users better manage and optimize their content.
The newly introduced insights feature allows users to analyze the performance of their Threads posts through various metrics. These include the number of views, replies, reposts, and quotes on posts. Additionally, users can track the growth of their follower count over time and gain demographic insights such as age, gender, and location of their followers. According to Meta, these metrics are intended to help creators and businesses tailor their content to better resonate with their audience.
In response to the need for more flexible content creation, Threads now offers the ability to write and save multiple drafts. Users can store up to 100 drafts, which can be refined and posted when ready. This feature aims to ensure that users can develop their ideas fully before sharing them with their followers.
Meta is also rolling out a scheduling feature, currently in the testing phase, which will allow users to plan and schedule their Threads posts for future publication. This tool is designed to help creators and businesses maintain a consistent online presence by enabling them to schedule posts days in advance.
These updates are part of Meta's ongoing efforts to evolve the Threads platform. Since launching the web version less than a year ago, Meta has introduced various enhancements, including the Threads API and a real-time updating web experience. According to Meta, these new tools are designed to address user needs and improve the overall functionality of the platform.
Source: Meta
TikTok to Host Creative Performance Webinar for SMBs
Photo Credit: Tik Tok
July 1, 2024 (BUSINESS WATCH GLOBAL) - TikTok has announced a new webinar titled "Mastering Creative Performance on TikTok" designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The webinar aims to provide valuable insights and strategies for creating captivating content that converts on the popular social media platform.
Webinar Details:
Topic: Mastering Creative Performance on TikTok
Date: Thursday, July 11, 2024
Time: 11:00 AM BST (12:00 PM CEST)
Platform: Live Zoom Webinar
The event will cover essential aspects of creative performance, focusing on the following themes:
Common elements of successful TikTok ads
Creative tips and insights to enhance performance
Winning strategies for peak creative performance
Industry experts will lead the session, sharing their knowledge and experience to help businesses improve their content on TikTok. Attendees will gain practical advice and actionable strategies to boost their creative efforts.
To reserve your spot and learn more about the webinar, visit TikTok Webinar Registration.
Source: TikTok
Snapchat Drives Audiences to Watch TV Shows and Movies, Reports Samba TV
Photo Credit: Snapchat
July 1, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) - New research from Samba TV indicates that advertising on Snapchat can significantly increase viewership for TV shows, movies, and sporting events. The study reveals that Snapchat campaigns produced an 84% lift in tune-in on average.
Samba TV's tune-in reporting shows that Snapchat not only drives existing audiences to engage with content but also attracts new viewers. The study found that 79% of Snapchat impressions were served to households that had not been reached by traditional TV ads. Additionally, one in three tune-ins driven by Snapchat came from new viewers, encompassing heavy, medium, and light TV viewers.
The effectiveness of Snapchat's ad formats was further demonstrated by campaigns utilizing multiple ad products. Samba TV found that campaigns using three to four ad products saw more than twice the lift compared to those using only one to two ad products.
With over 800 million monthly active users and reaching more than 75% of 13- to 34-year-olds, Snapchat offers substantial opportunities for advertisers to enhance viewer discovery and retention.
Source: Snapchat
TikTok Expands Taylor Swift In-App Experience for 2024 Eras Tour
June 21, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) - TikTok has announced an expansion of its in-app experience celebrating Taylor Swift and her ongoing Eras Tour. The new feature, known as #TSTheErasTour, introduces interactive elements for Swift's fans, or "Swifties," allowing them to engage with each other and complete tasks to unlock exclusive digital content.
The #TSTheErasTour experience offers fans the chance to win album-branded profile frames and collect digital friendship beads to create virtual friendship bracelets. Over the course of 11 weeks, Swifties can complete various album-themed tasks, each tied to different albums from Swift’s career. Those who complete all tasks will receive a special Swiftie profile frame.
In addition to the weekly challenges, the in-app experience will showcase video highlights from each stop on the Eras Tour and feature a playlist related to the week’s album theme. TikTok has emphasized its role in supporting artists and connecting them with fans through platforms like this, enhancing the bond between artists and their followers.
To access the #TSTheErasTour experience, fans can click the anchor appearing next to Taylor Swift content on TikTok or interact with search banners for related terms. Participants can view their collected digital friendship beads and profile frames on the in-app experience’s homepage, with achievements for completed tasks appearing as pop-up messages.
Since the start of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in March 2023, related hashtags have been prominently featured on TikTok, amassing over 5 million creator videos. The platform has been a hub for fans to express their creativity and connect with others, enhancing their overall experience of the tour.
TikTok continues to roll out unique experiences for fans and artists alike, having previously launched the "Tortured Poets Department" in-app feature, which generated over 3.2 million creator videos. Hashtags related to Taylor Swift, such as #SwiftTok and #TaylorsVersion, remain highly popular, with millions of video creations contributing to the community’s engagement.
Source: TikTok
Khloé Kardashian Partners with X for New 26-Episode Video Podcast
LOS ANGELES, June 21, 2024, (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) - Khloé Kardashian and X have announced a new partnership for a 26-episode video podcast series, set to launch exclusively on the platform this fall. The series, which will be produced by PAVE Studios under their OpenMind brand, will explore a range of topics through Kardashian’s perspective, blending humor and relatability.
Kardashian, known for her entrepreneurial ventures and media presence, will star in and produce the podcast. The show is part of X’s initiative to expand its original content offerings, focusing on talent-driven concepts while allowing creators to retain ownership of their content. Each episode will have a 24-hour exclusive window on X before being available on other platforms.
Expressing her enthusiasm for the project, Kardashian stated, “I have a genuine curiosity about so many topics and I try to see the positive in everything. I can’t wait to explore, listen, and learn through this exciting journey. Thank you X for taking this ride with me.”
Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, commented on the partnership: “When thinking about the bold voices with global reach that X wants to stand behind, Khloé Kardashian is our perfect partner. This series demonstrates X’s commitment to empower creators to use video content as a means to enterprise every aspect of their business. I can’t wait for the world to tune in to her compelling conversations, and to provide her with a platform that will showcase her vision to a worldwide audience.”
The series will be produced by PAVE Studios, with Max Cutler as the executive producer. Cutler, founder of PAVE Studios, emphasized the studio’s mission: “PAVE Studios is all about empowering creators, offering them a suite of top-tier resources, including the highest quality production, so they can unleash their creativity. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Khloé Kardashian on her new series. Khloé's natural curiosity and genuine passion for having thought-provoking and meaningful conversations align perfectly with OpenMind's mission to create a space where people can ignite their minds and broaden their perspectives with curiosity-inspired content."
This partnership with Kardashian is part of a series of recent announcements by X, including exclusive deals with Swizz Beatz and Timbaland for their multimedia platform VERZUZ, and with women’s soccer star Midge Purce for a new reality series, Offseason FC.
For more information on Khloé Kardashian’s new series and to sign up for updates, follow X News.
Source: X News
TikTok Launches Symphony Digital Avatars and AI Tools for Enhanced Creative Content
NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 17, 2024 (V SOCIAL MEDIA OF HOLLYWOOD) - TikTok has introduced Symphony Digital Avatars, a new feature in its Symphony suite of ad solutions powered by generative AI. This launch aims to help brands and creators produce TikTok-first content that resonates with audiences worldwide.
Symphony Digital Avatars are part of a broader initiative by TikTok to provide businesses and creators with tools that blend human creativity with AI-powered efficiency. The new feature offers two types of avatars: Stock Avatars, which are pre-built using paid actors, and Custom Avatars, which can represent a specific creator or brand spokesperson in multiple languages. These avatars are designed to help brands add a human touch to their content and scale their creative strategies globally.
"At TikTok, we aim to empower creators and propel their creativity to a global audience with the power of generative AI," said Andy Yang, Head of Creative Product at TikTok. "Symphony Digital Avatars unlock a new avenue for creators to scale their opportunities with brands globally. We aim to fuel the creator economy by investing in creative solutions that spark joy, imagination, and action."
The Symphony AI creative suite also includes AI Dubbing, a global translation tool that enables creators and brands to translate their content into more than ten languages, facilitating communication with a broader audience. This tool detects the original language in a video, transcribes, translates, and produces a dubbed version in the selected languages, making it easier for creators to reach diverse audiences.
TikTok has also launched the Symphony Collective: Industry Advisory Board, which includes a range of content creators and industry leaders. The collective aims to provide feedback on TikTok’s AI marketing solutions and foster discussions on the responsible use of AI in creative marketing.
David Ma, a filmmaker and TikTok creator, expressed his enthusiasm about joining the collective: "TikTok has been a pioneer in providing creative tools that allow me to effectively collaborate with brands and create lasting, long-term brand relationships. I'm honored to be a part of The Symphony Collective to help test and build their new creative AI solutions."
Anthony Hamelle, Executive Director of Digital, Social & Innovation at TBWA/Chiat/Day US, also commented on the initiative: "TikTok has been a remarkable force for more open, diverse, and bold forms of creativity. With GenAI as a creative catalyst, this stage that welcomes thousands of creators and communities will become even more dynamic."
For more information on TikTok's Symphony tools and how they can help enhance your content, visit TikTok for Business.
Source: TikTok