We like to keep a razor-sharp focus on the digital and social trends, conversations and people that matter to our audiences. Our social round-up curates the most essential news that brands need to be aware of.

1. THE SOCIAL DIGEST
By Gravity Thinking
#42

2. We like to keep a razor-sharp focus on the digital and
social trends, conversations and people that matter to
our audiences. Our social round-up curates the most
essential news that brands need to be aware of.
Read on for the headlines that matter most.
EDITION #42
THE ONLY SOCIAL TRENDS &
INNOVATIONS ROUND-UP
YOU NEED
2

3. Rolling out worldwide, everyone will have the ability to ask Instagram
to publicly verify their accounts. Previously, there was no clear process
for a?aining the blue checkmark, but now all you have to do is click
“Request VerificaDon” in the seFngs tab. This is sDll reserved,
however, for notable public figures, celebriDes, global brands or the
enDDes they represent.
Instagram has also this week added new ‘Super Zoom’ variants in
Stories, plus emoji shortcuts in comments.
https://mashable.com/2018/08/28/instagram-verification-badge-request-form/?europe=true#GqW5VkcYdaqd
ACTION: IF YOUR BRAND ISN’T ALREADYVERIFIED ON
INSTAGRAM, IT’S ADVISED TO APPLY FOR THE BLUE TICK TO
LEGITIMISE YOUR ACCOUNT.
INSTAGRAM WILL LET USERS REQUEST TO
GET VERIFIED

4. Following its launch in the US one year ago, Facebook’s spin-off video
plaQorm Watch is now available globally, courDng brands to funnel ad
spend its way. The social network has rolled Watch’s ‘ad breaks’ format
to five more locaDons including the UK, offering brands TV-esque pre
and mid-roll ads alongside image ads which appear directly below
videos. Facebook has claimed that just over 70% of mid-roll ads are
viewed unDl the end on Watch.
AddiDonally, Facebook is giving Watch creators a new ‘loyalty insights’
tool, including a fresh metric on audience retenDon to be?er program
content that keeps viewers returning.
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/08/29/facebook-watch-has-gone-global-here-s-its-pitch-advertisers
ACTION: CONSIDER RUNNING BRANDED ‘AD BREAKS’
THROUGH WATCH TO HEIGHTEN COMPLETION RATES.
ADDITIONALLY CONSIDER THE BENEFITS OF CREATING LONG-
FORM BRANDED CONTENT FOR WATCH, UTILISING INSIGHTS
TOOLS TO HELP RETAIN LOYAL BRAND ADVOCATES.
FACEBOOK WATCH HAS GONE GLOBAL

5. Facebook is rolling out access to a pixel for Facebook Groups, allowing
marketers to track users’ behaviour aZer clicking on posts. These
pixels will create more data points for marketers to understand their
audience. The data from the pixel will show up on the group’s insights
page and be visible to groups’ administrators.
https://digiday.com/marketing/facebook-adds-pixel-groups-marketers-can-track-engaged-audiences/
ACTION: SEEING EXTREMELY HIGH ENGAGEMENT RATES, IT’S
TIME TO START PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO GROUPS AS USER
GROWTH ON FACEBOOK’S NEWS FEED HAS SLOWED.
FACEBOOK ADDS PIXEL TO GROUPS SO
MARKETERS CAN TRACK ENGAGED
AUDIENCES

6. YouTube will be expanding the role that non-skippable ads play on its
plaQorm, rolling them out to all content creators who are able to
moneDse their videos.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/unskipable-ads-youtube/
ACTION: ENSURE YOUR BRAND IS CREATING CONTENT WHICH
RESONATES WITH YOUR AUDIENCE, SO AS NOT TO IRRITATE
THOSE WHO HAVE TO SIT THROUGH YOUR 20-SECOND AD.
YOUTUBE EXPANDS UNSKIPPABLE ADS TO
MORE CREATORS

7. YouTube is expanding its set of “digital wellbeing” tools, with an added
feature that will calculate how much you’re watching videos. This
“Time Watched” feature informs YouTube users how much they’ve
watched today, yesterday and over the past seven days. This includes
YouTube TV watch history.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/27/youtube-expands-its-digital-wellbeing-tools-to-track-time-spent-watching-videos/
ACTION: WITH PRESSURE ON USERS TO CUT DOWN THEIR
SOCIAL MEDIA TIME, ENSURE NOW MORE THAN EVER THAT
YOUR BRAND’S CONTENT IS SNAPPY, ENGAGING AND
RESONATES WITH YOUR AUDIENCE TO INCREASE CHANCES OF
BEING SEEN AND REMEMBERED.
YOUTUBE EXPANDS ITS ‘DIGITAL WELLBEING’
TOOLS TO TRACK TIME SPENT WATCHING
VIDEOS

8. Snapchat is set to overtake Facebook as the digital hangout of choice
for teens and ‘twenty-somethings’ this year, as Mark Zuckerberg’s
social media site struggles to remain relevant to the youth generaDon.
By the end of this year, Snapchat, with its disappearing messages and
funky photograph filters, which has already won over young teens, is
set to become the most popular social media plaQorm in the UK for
18-24 year-olds.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/27/facebook-is-being-eclipsed-by-its-youthful-rival-snapchat
ACTION: IF YOUR BRAND’S TARGET AUDIENCE LIES WITHIN
THIS, START TO CONSIDER OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPANDING
INTERACTIVITY WITH YOUR AUDIENCE THROUGH
ENTERTAINING ‘SNAPPABLE’ CONTENT.
FACEBOOK IS BEING ECLIPSED BY ITS
YOUTHFUL RIVAL SNAPCHAT

9. Instagram is working on a new standalone app dedicated to shopping:
IG Shopping. This will allow users to browse collecDons of goods from
merchants that they follow and purchase them directly within the app.
It is currently unclear when the app will launch.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/4/17819766/instagram-shopping-app-e-commerce
ACTION: IF IG SHOPPING ROLLS OUT, WEIGH UP THE SALES
BENEFITS OF UTILISING THE APP AND CONSIDER HOW YOUR
BRAND CAN POSITION ITS PRODUCTS TO FIT WITH THE APP’S
STYLE AND AUDIENCE.
INSTAGRAM IS BUILDING A STANDALONE APP
FOR SHOPPING

10. @Copyright Gravity Thinking
www.gravitythinking.com
Emerson Studios,
4-8 Emerson Street,
London. SE1 9DU
0203 141 7700
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We create ideas that are designed for where audiences are: social. This means that we take a social-up rather
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