Tag: Social Media

Manila, Philippines – With the celebration of Mother’s Day, Twitter Philippines has released a special report on how mothers in the country are using the platform. 

Twitter isn’t necessarily a top-of-mind platform for mothers, but data shows that the cohort has looked to Twitter as their go-to in the past year for useful content and engagement, specifically on parenting and health wellness.

Research shows that in 2020, there are over 8 million users who are mothers in the Philippines, which is a 36% increase in the past two years. About 58% of moms on Twitter are millennials, some of which are first-time moms, and are still learning the ropes of parenthood. Data shows that through Twitter, about 69% of Filipino moms are looking for content and information for learning and self-improvement.

Twitter is also used by Filipino moms for downtime and to indulge in their personal interests and passions. The film and television came out to be the top category around mom-related conversations with 20%, followed by health and wellness with 18%, music with 16%, with food and beverages at 15%, as well as finance at 10%, and shopping with 9%. 

With the internet becoming the top source of information for buying decisions, Filipino moms also don’t pass up on relying on the platform to find useful bits on the best brands and products, For example, about 66% of Filipino moms act as the main food shoppers at home, so mothers also rely on the help of fellow moms on the internet in making smarter shopping decisions. Twitter said that 79% of moms on the platform research on a product before buying it and apart from proactively researching on their own, they are also active in sharing product reviews themselves. 

Since pre-pandemic saw brands interacting with moms directly on the grocery shelves, it won’t be as effective with the ongoing lockdown. 

“Connecting to active mom audiences on Twitter might not be enough; brands must also create a space for moms on Twitter to help them embrace, nurture, and celebrate their real and unfiltered lives,” said Twitter. 

Chandan Deep, the head of emerging business at Twitter SEA, commented that Twitter is a space where moms and brands connect and deepen relationships, thanks to conversations on real-life experiences. 

“Moms found a sense of community, while brands are given the opportunity to reach moms where they are the most open to learn and hear new ideas,” said Deep.

Malaysia – In this year’s celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Malaysian cleaning appliance brand Kärcher releases a touching short film that reminds the value of ‘home’ and ‘memories’.

The almost 7-minute film was done in collaboration with social media agency Kingdom Digital, and Lui Xiao Yee, its head for account servicing, said that while the tradition of families coming together to clean and spruce up their homes in preparation for the Raya festive occasion serves as a great bonding experience, “memories are often sidelined.” 

Karcher Malaysia Kingdom Digital

Hence, the insight for the new short film, ‘Rumahku, Memoriku’ or ‘My Home, My Memories’.

The story revolves around the son, Zack, who is convincing his father to sell the family’s old house in order to gain money from it, but the father contests as the house holds many precious memories of the family. 

As the family visits and sets out to clean and ‘prepare’ the house for sale, Zack is brought back to his fond memories of childhood which he had spent happily with his parents. This brings the important realization that his parents are right all along, and that family comes first before anything else.

William Kiew, general manager of Kärcher Malaysia, said, “We are excited to have released our first Raya short film on social media platforms. Besides showcasing the capabilities of our key products to ease Malaysians with the spring-cleaning process, we hope to remind them that remnants of our past can often bring back memories and help us remember what made us who we are today.”

Kingdom Digital produced the short film in partnership with production company Untitled Films.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri which marks the end of Ramadan will be celebrated on 13 May in Malaysia. 

Influencers are being upended by virtual influencers – computer-generated influencers that operate like real-life ones. Brands are increasingly seeking to partner with them, or even create them, to tap into their fan base through endorsement deals. Virtual influencers have emerged in the last few years as, arguably, the next big thing in influencer marketing. 

Characters like Lil Miquela (3.1 million Instagram followers) and Knox Frost (791,000 followers) who are both Instagram-verified, have worked with all sorts of brands and entities, from Calvin Klein and Dior to Samsung and the World Health Organization. According to an analysis published on Bloomberg by OnBuy, a U.K.–based online marketplace, Lil Miquela is estimated to make over $10M per year — for the company that created her. With 3.1 million followers on Instagram, HypeAuditor, an analytical platform for influencer marketing, estimates that she charges around $12,500 per sponsored post, making her the highest-paid ‘robot influencer’.

Virtual influencers have quickly gained traction within the industry. Technology is enabling studios and advertisers to create virtual influencers that seem almost real, giving them personalities and lives that they share with consumers, to try and form a connection with people. And brands have found that they offer certain advantages over real influencers. 

First, they are cost-effective, and content can be produced relatively quickly — it is very simple for a graphics designer to give a virtual influencer a new wardrobe and place them in any location on Earth, compared to having to fly or drive a real influencer to a specific location for a photoshoot. 

Second, they seem to be relatively effective. Influencer marketing is already one of the most effective methods to bridge the gap between a brand and its audience by leveraging an influencer’s authenticity and engagement with their fanbase. Our research finds that virtual influencers have almost three times the engagement rate of real influencers, indicating that their followers are more likely to like and comment on their content compared to the content produced by their human counterparts. 

Third, and perhaps most important, is that they are controllable and pose a significantly lower risk to a brand’s reputation. Given that virtual influencers are scripted and controlled by their creators, there’s much less chance that they will embarrass their clients by posting something offensive or controversial on their social pages. So in many ways, virtual influencers may appear like the safest option for brands.

However, brands would be wise not to get too caught up in the hype, as there are some issues around virtual influencers. 

While virtual influencers have a higher engagement rate than human influencers, HypeAuditor’s research found that 48 percent of virtual influencers had negative follower growth in 2020, meaning that they are losing followers. This may be because the accounts were losing bots, or that their audience simply did not like the content and were unfollowing them.

Another concern is around regulation. Many have questioned if virtual influencers conflict with the rules set by advertising watchdogs. For instance, the Australian Association of National Advertisers Code of Ethics requires an influencer to disclose that a post is a paid endorsement of a product or service. And this is complemented by the Competition and Consumer Act which covers ‘misleading and deceptive conduct’. Obviously, virtual influencers have not and can never try the products they promote themselves, which can be viewed as misleading and deceptive, even if they disclose the paid partnership. 

The fact that some virtual influencers look so life-like could also potentially mislead the public. HypeAuditor’s survey of Instagram users in 2019 by consultancy firm Fullscreen found that 42 percent of millennials and Generation Z have followed an influencer on the platform without realizing that they are computer-generated. 

Because of this, it is predicted that the rising popularity of virtual influencers will also lead to calls for them to be regulated, so that they don’t deceive the public or mislead their followers. 

And while virtual influencers are less likely to go off-message, brands do need to carefully consider what kind of biases a virtual influencer or their creators might have, as this could still cause damage to their brand’s reputation. Diversity and inclusivity are also highly important to consumers today, so brands must be careful when hiring virtual influencers instead of real human ones. French fashion house Balmain received criticism in 2018 for using three ‘diverse’ virtual influencers in a campaign, rather than hiring actual diverse human beings. 

Influencer marketing has huge potential in the advertising industry, as it enables brands to form much more human connections between themselves and their audiences. While there is certainly a place in ad campaigns for virtual influencers to create engaging content, brands would be wise not to forget about their human counterparts. 

This article is by Alexander Frolov, CEO and co-founder of HypeAuditor.

HypeAuditor is an analytical platform that helps brands manage the effectiveness of their influencer marketing campaigns.

Singapore – Twitter has recently announced the promotion of Yu Sasamoto, former country general manager for Japan and South Korea, to now assume as vice president for the unified region of Twitter Japan, South Korea, and Asia Pacific (JAPAC).

Yu’s appointment comes after the elevation of Maya Hari, former vice president and managing director of Twitter APAC, who now takes the helm as vice president of global strategy and operations.

Prior to joining Twitter, Sasamoto has held senior executive roles for various companies, including cable channel MTV Japan, technology company Microsoft Greater Asia Pacific, and restaurant search engine and review site ASKU. In his new role, Sasamoto will be responsible for Twitter’s advertising business across the JAPAC region, including Australia, Greater China, Japan, India, and New Zealand, as well as the whole Southeast Asia, and South Korea. 

Sasamoto will move to Twitter’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore for the expanded regional role, and will continue to serve as the general manager of Twitter Japan, as well as the head of Twitter Client Solutions in Japan until the platform finds his successor.

Meanwhile, Hari brings with her over 15 years of experience in the digital media, mobile, and e-commerce industries across the US and APAC. She has previously worked for brands such as Samsung, Google, and Microsoft, as well as Cisco. In her new role, Hari will be responsible for leading a global team focused on customers and revenue product strategy, operations, innovation, and automation to enable commercial and content partnerships efforts around the world. 

Hari will continue to be based in Singapore and her global appointment aligns with the company’s overall belief that having more leaders and employees living and working in places that are representative of all perspectives and cultures will help Twitter be a better service and company.

Commenting on his promotion, Sasamoto said that he is thrilled and honored to be tasked with leading the powerhouse that is the new unified JAPAC region for Twitter, and working closely with world-class talents across the region. 

“Not only does Asia boast a rich, diverse culture and society, it also breathes innovation and vibrancy – and being at Twitter means we get to be on the pulse of everything that’s happening. I’m looking forward to bringing more people, communities, brands, and partners to Twitter as we build on the incredible business momentum from Maya’s leadership across the region,” said Sasamoto.

Meanwhile, Hari shared that they are delighted that Sasamoto will be stepping into the expanded role, as it is a testament to everything he has achieved at Twitter to date, leading Japan to become among the largest revenue markets globally. 

“In my new role, I am excited to work with him and our other international leaders to grow our businesses around the world and find new opportunities for Twitter to serve the global public conversation,” said Hari.

Manila, Philippines – In the mid of the COVID-19 pandemic, food has been a frequent topic that sparks hearty discussions for Filipinos on Twitter, expressing their love for food and channeling their inner chefs, as seen on the #DalgonaCoffee, #UbeCheesePandesal, and other food trends that happened during the lockdown.

According to Twitter, just in 2020 alone, there were over 7 million food and drink mentions in the Philippines, which proves that moments with food or just the thought of food alone invites people to share and tweet about it. Out of all the consumer-packaged goods in the market, food is the most talked about on Twitter in 2020 with 57%, followed by drinks with 20%, alcohol with 9%, and beauty with 7%. Food became a conversation starter and an expression of care and concern. In addition, most of the conversations about food at home are on ‘ulam’, which means ‘dish’ in the Filipino Language.

Chandan Deep, the head of emerging business at Twitter SEA, said that conversations on food are highly welcome because people are very passionate about it and they actively engage in these discussions, which is why the buzz keeps on growing. 

“In fact, food conversations on Twitter increased in 2020 as more foodies became active in sharing their activities or thoughts related to food. These observations are vital because they help us understand how food conversations evolved during the pandemic. Knowing what’s happening around this community, from how or where to find them, is also helpful for brands as they navigate and make relevant campaigns moving forward,” added Deep.

Twitter has also recorded other insights on Filipino foodies on the platform such as the popularity of home-cooked meals which came about during the lockdown period. About 50% of Filipinos on Twitter shared that they spent more time cooking at home, and more than 1/2 of Filipinos on Twitter are searching the platform for products to buy. 

Filipino users were also found to tweet before eating, which presents a marketing opportunity for food brands to promote their products, as 50% of Filipinos discover new brands through the platform. Meanwhile, another popular topic on the app is food for special occasions. Many Filipinos order food from their favorite restaurants or newfound local shops during special days and tweet about it.

With this, Twitter believes that food and beverage brands must consistently share their stories, and create strategies to launch campaigns and connect through different ways, be it through graphics, videos, or something experimental and new such as Fleets, a new way to post content on Twitter that will disappear after 24 hours.

Seoul, South Korea – Twitter’s #FanTweets, the platform’s exclusive fan engagement feature is venturing into K-pop, starting with BLACKPINK member ROSÉ, where fans can now engage with the artist herself through BLACKPINK’s official Twitter account

#FanTweets are a custom type of exclusive content on Twitter, where celebrities record their responses to real Tweets from fans. #FanTweets help to bring fans closer to their favorite artists and give them a chance to hear straight from the artists themselves. Also, witty, vibrant, and authentic tweets from fans will provide a different fun experience unique to #FanTweets.

Through #FanTweets, ROSÉ can reply to fan’s tweets about her new album, stage performances, life, and her dog ‘HANK’.

This comes after ROSÉ released her debut solo album ‘R’ last 12 March 2021, in which it entered the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut single ‘On the Ground’ also debuted and peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.

“#FanTweets offer another way for fans to hear directly from their favorite K-pop artists. With #FanTweets, BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ shared new sides to her, as well as more stories for her fans to cherish. Twitter will offer more fan-driven exclusive content to enable fans to connect with their favorite artists and to drive conversations about #KpopTwitter and various K-content,” said YeonJeong Kim, head of global K-pop partnerships at Twitter.

Some of the celebrities who have engaged through #FanTweets include Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović and English singer-songwriter Louis Tomlinson, known to be part of the English boy band One Direction.

India – Facebook in India has launched the second film ‘Dhara’ as part of the platform’s ongoing ‘More Together’ campaign series, done in collaboration with dentsu international’s creative agency Taproot Dentsu India.

The ‘More Together’ campaign intends to celebrate the first anniversary of Facebook’s consumer marketing journey in the country. The campaign series showcases the platform’s power of connections and communities through inspirational stories.

The previously released film focuses on the life of ‘Richen’, a female football coach in Ladakh – a region in northern India, who shares her players’ videos on the social media platform. It highlights how the power of connections not only creates a fan-following for her team but also drives her and the team’s career forward.

The sequel, meanwhile, focuses on the life of Dhara, a book lover who rescues books from being consigned to the bin and that with the help of Facebook, finds homes for many of her rescued books.

The story continues to explain how people can do more together and that there are endless possibilities one can achieve through the power of Facebook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxVMXXtGZjA

According to Neeraj Kanitkar, senior creative director of Taproot Dentsu, the film is a sweet and simple demonstration of Facebook’s inherent power which is to supercharge the efforts of one person when the community gets behind it. 

“It is quite rare to be in the advertising business without having some love for the written word. So when Gauri Burma – the most passionate book lover amongst us – came up with the idea, we knew we simply had to make it happen. We hope that it inspires people to consider using Facebook to give a new lease of life to old, forgotten, and about-to-be-turned-into-pulp books,” said Kanitkar.

India – Global broadcasting news company BBC News in India has teamed up with AliveNow, a global creative tech studio, for a campaign that sees the fusion of both OOH and augmented reality.

BBC news has launched its very own Instagram AR effect that will give users the opportunity to be part of the BBC News billboard, with the BBC audio track even playing in the background.

The campaign is to encourage its audience to ‘make more of their world’. BBC News said the initiative reflects its ambition to represent all those that come to them for trustworthy, impartial journalism. 

“Through this initiative, we are taking our commitment to ‘make more of your world’ to our audiences in the comfort of their own homes. With the help of this idea, we intend to engage with our audience at a deeper level and offer an honest opportunity to be part of our campaign. For this innovation, we’ve worked closely with the AliveNow team and are pleased with the fantastic outcome. I invite everyone to join in and be part of our campaign,” said Tejash Kothari, marketing manager of BBC News in the Asia Pacific.

The campaign is a first of its kind. The new Instagram AR effect is made available in six Indian languages, and offers three different billboard styles in various environments to select from.

Raghav Sharma, account manager at AliveNow India, shared, “It was exciting to partner with BBC News India to bring to their audience for the first time ever, a chance to see themselves on a BBC billboard through an Augmented Reality filter on Instagram. We hope that users are delighted by this Spark AR experience and tune-in to BBC in their regional language.”

The news company also encourages users to tag them when posting Instagram stories using the new filter for a chance to be on an actual BBC billboard.

Manila, Philippines – Video-sharing app TikTok has recently launched a new fact-checking prompt for users’ content, and the feature is now available for Filipino users. 

The platform announced the new feature in February in an aim to counter inauthentic, misleading, or false content shared by users, which was first rolled out in Canada and the US, and to be integrated into TikTok platforms globally over the coming weeks. 

TikTok will now be checking if a certain content shared by a user is factual, and will be delivering necessary prompts and implementing appropriate actions to notify users accordingly. 

When a video has been reviewed but that its content cannot be conclusively validated, a prompt in form of a banner will appear in the video. If a viewer attempts to share the flagged video, they will see a prompt reminding them that the video has been flagged as unverified content.

Meanwhile, if it is finalized to be false content, the video will outrightly be removed from the platform. In the event that content is not able to be confirmed by the fact checks, the video will be ineligible for recommendation into the app users’ ‘For You’ feed, helping limit the spread of potentially misleading information. 

The platform said that the additional step requires for people to pause and consider their next move before choosing to ‘cancel’ or ‘share anyway,’ which is exactly what TikTok aims to do, to help users “be mindful about what they share.”

For the new feature, TikTok has partnered with fact-checkers at PolitiFact, Lead Stories, and SciVerify to help assess the accuracy of contents. It also shared that the feature has been initially tested with Irrational Labs, a behavioral science lab.

TikTok has previously launched a series of educational videos called ‘Be Informed’ which was created in partnership with the National Association of Media Literacy Education. TikTok said the new fact-checking feature is part of its ongoing work to advance media literacy.