Welcome to the TAKUMI insights subscription 📊.
If you’re looking for the inside scoop on influencer marketing 📱, social media updates ⚙️, creator culture 🤳, and Gen Z insights 📈, then look no further. TAKUMI’s insights team is curating the most impactful industry news and weekly developments right here 👇.
Facebook’s Outage: Breaking The Ad Empire — For A Day? | Forbes 📲. October 5th 2021
"this outage has widespread implications to the advertising ecosystem given the fact that ads weren’t being served for over six hours across Facebook and Instagram”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: The outage of Facebook's family of apps on Monday 4th October left everyone twiddling their thumbs, turning to other social platforms for solace. Brands and businesses took to Twitter, using the outage as an opportunity to get creative; from its own account, Twitter posted 'Hello literally everyone' to acknowledge the flood of activity on the app. For most, the outage came as mere, temporary inconvenience for a few hours, but for the 10 million or so advertisers that rely on Facebook, the blackout would have had some real implications for brand's bottom lines 📊.
Facebook makes nearly £235 million a day in ad revenue, which gives some indication of the sheer amount that the platform- and advertisers using it- would have lost on Monday 💰 (not to mention the ramifications from accusations brought against Facebook this week, by a whistleblower claiming the harms to democracy and children caused by the apps).
This piece by Forbes includes a plan of action for brands, with things to consider should this happen again, namely "1. Diversify media spend within and outside of social media ... 2. Prepare for the next outage ... 3. Adjust measurement tracking and optimization". From our perspective, the first point in the list is the most important. Taking a multi-channel approach to marketing and advertising is the single best way of maximising ROI and ensuring a well-established digital presence that targets a diverse range of audiences. For those without an established Twitter presence, they'd have missed out on a prime opportunity during the outage to get in on the joke and leverage the millions of Facebook and Instagram users suddenly all on one app at the same time. 🧺 Putting all your advertising and marketing eggs in just one or two digital baskets, could spell trouble the next time something like this happens.
Instagram Retires IGTV Brand, Merges Video Feed Posts into a Single Format | Social Media Today 🔗 October 5th 2021
"Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently pointed to the platform’s plan to streamline its video offerings, as part of a broader effort to simplify the app, which has become increasingly complicated with the addition of Stories, IGTV, Reels, and various other new elements.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: Instagram has officially announced a new, integrated format and tab section for long-form videos on the app which will be aptly named 'Instagram Video'. IGTV and feed videos will now live in 'Instagram Video'; basically anything that isn't a Reel, which will continue to live separately. Instagram's Business blog said "the new Video tab will be the home for this combined video format, making it easier for people to find content from creators they love". 🎥 Video previews in-feed will be 60 seconds long- while those eligible for ads will show a 15 seconds preview- allowing users a taste of the content that's out there with more ease. Metrics are also changing, "to make it easier to understand how videos are performing, we’re merging feed post insights and video insights into one combined metric for businesses and creators", according to Instagram.
Additionally, IGTV ads will henceforth be called Instagram In-Stream video ads, providing a more unified approach for creators and brands to leverage long-form videos, and monetise them. Instagram also noted that businesses wanting to boost their video content, to increase reach, must make sure they are no longer than 60 seconds long. We suspect this is probably to encourage the use of ads in Reels instead, since Instagram remains in stark competition with TikTok on the short-form video front ⚖️.
Twitter for Professionals will begin to roll out this week for businesses and creators | Tech Crunch 📑
October 1st 2021
“Soon, businesses and creators will be able to opt into “professional accounts,” giving them additional tools to distinguish their profile, quickly promote content through ads and capitalize on Twitter’s future e-commerce efforts.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: For those that use Twitter for work, whether you're a creator or a brand, you'll soon be able to switch to a Twitters for Professionals profile on the platform. Converting to a professional account will enable you to promote tweets in ad campaigns, follow specific topics, and customise your profile with 'about', shop', and 'newsletter' modules (the latter, for those that use the Revue newsletter service on Twitter)📰 . What's more, if you decide it's not for you, you can simply switch your account back to its original form. The feature places Twitter on the same level as its platform peers, at least in terms of offering a designated profile option for businesses and creators. Hopefully, the update will give greater potential for Professional users to monetise their content on the Twitter, which in-turn will extend the eCommerce arm of the platform 💸.
Facebook Puts Reels, it’s TikTok-Style Video Stream - in News Feed | AdAge 🎥September 29th 2021
“Facebook announced the changes coming to the main Facebook app with the introduction of Reels, a move that shows the company is trying to evolve with the times so as not to become a stale social network.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: Given the success of Reels on Instagram, it comes as no surprise that the short-form video feature is making its way onto Facebook. It was announced last week that Reels are coming to Facebook in the US, with tests in the pipeline for brands to run ads in Reels just as they can on Instagram. The nature of Reels enables brands to get creative with ads, allowing them to hone in on Facebook's well-established eCommerce outlets in a new way 📹. The news comes alongside a new creator incentive, the 'Reels Play' bonus, which will allow creators to earn money for their high-performing Reels. Reels Play- which will be invite-only in the US, initially- is the second wave of Instagram's ongoing plan to invest $1 billion into creator rewards, and follows the success of the Reels Summer bonus. Reels Play will be offered to creators on Facebook too, which will certainly incentivise creators to waste no time in getting Reels content out on Facebook.
Facebook Messenger releases cross-app group chats, further integrating with Instagram | Tech Crunch 💬 September 30th 2021
"Last year, the company introduced cross-app messaging between Messenger and Instagram, but now, users will be able to start group chats among Instagram and Messenger contacts.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: Just one day after the news that Reels will be coming to Facebook's News Feed for US users, a slew of Messenger updates were announced. Facebook and Instagram are set to merge even closer, with the addition of group DMs on Instagram and a group typing feature to let users know when others in their group chats are typing, regardless of the platform they are messaging on 🗣. Polls are also making their way to Instagram DMs, as well as a Watch Together option for groups to view Reels or IGTV videos all at the same time 👀. It's unclear how these updates might facilitate new opportunities for brands, but they do signify that platforms are make a concerted effort to nurture group connections, honing in on communities and making it easier for people to communicate.
Tell us what you think! 💭 Have you got any suggestions, ideas or comments that you’d like to share about our Client Substack Newsletter?
What do you want to see more of? What do you want to see less of? Let us know 📥
Stay updated with the latest industry trends and insights by following us on LinkedIn 🔥