Social Media News, Features, and Interviews

As the world celebrates Earth Day on 22 April 2022, CMO took a look at some of the ways Australian and global brands are embracing the spirit of the movement in campaigns and experiential activations.

For Scott Edington, CEO at San Francisco-based AI startup, Deep Labs, techniques used to steer people away from their better judgement are what he refers to as dark patterns. And they have become something he and his team are keen to protect people from.

There’s a new normal in emerging technology every week, driven by rapid convergence of everything from smart devices to the virtual and physical in the metaverse. It’s ushering in the age of Industry 5.0, an exciting and frightening scenario for marketers.

A premium version of Mambo harking back to the iconic brand’s artistic and cultural grassroots and aimed at fans new and old is the second direct-to-consumer offering from Australian family-owned business, Caprice.

Would you put your brand into the hands of a complete stranger? For a rapidly increasing number of Australian marketers, the answer is yes.

The latest Gartner Magic Quadrant for content marketing platforms has highlighted Optimizely (Welcome), Sprinklr, Skyword and Seismic as leaders both in terms of vision and ability to deliver.

Veteran media executive, Kim Williams, is no stranger to new or unproven ideas. Fifteen years ago, he was involved in bringing video onto mobile phones in his role as chief executive at Foxtel – an idea which garnered its share of detractors.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is lining up alongside Twiggy Forrest and taking Facebook parent company, Meta, to court for publishing scam celebrity cryptocurrency advertising on its platform.

ThinkPremiumDigital’s general manager is hoping new research showing advertisers would need five hours of video time on social media to get the same amount of attention with premium video placements in 12 minutes can kickstart a new conversation around the digital planning process.

Connecting inspiration and positivity with conversion is the ambition for social media platform, Pinterest, and it’s building out consumer insights and commerce capabilities in the hopes of delivering it.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is seeking feedback on a new discussion paper looking at legislative reforms, rules, codes of conduct and access regimes that could directly address the market dominance of digital platform giants.

Next-generation telco, Circles.Life, may have just taken its first big step into the metaverse, but “don’t expect us to be a telco metaverse, just expect us to be a telco that really supports our customers and delivers what they are looking for”, its CMO says.

Growing interest in the metaverse and immersive digital experiences has prompted group fitness brand, Les Mills, to debut its first virtual workout in the gaming environment.

We delve into the sonic branding strategy of three leading brands - Menulog, Mastercard and Colgate Palmolive - and ask their marketing leaders: What does it take to make sonic branding sing?

Have you ever wondered what you would sound like if you were a melody? Do you suspect your favourite cheese brand would have strident tones of sauciness if it could talk? How about your Xbox – have you ever paid attention to the ding it makes every time you choose an option from the menu? And what about what you hear while on hold to your bank, telco or insurance provider: Does it scream personality?

The Australian Information Commissioner has progressed a step further in its quest to pursue Facebook for breaches of Australian privacy law after the Federal Court rejected the social media giant’s appeal against a ruling to continue proceedings.

Australian Businessman and Fortescue Metals Group chief, Dr Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, has launched potentially ground-breaking criminal proceedings against Facebook, alleging the social media giant has committed criminal offences by allowing cryptocurrency scams to be advertised on its platform.

Only one in five Australian consumers believe social media is beneficial for society and four in 10 are concerned about the way companies are using their personal data online.

Transparency, proactivity and setting clear expectations with customers are the best things brands can do right to try and counter a potential rise in negative online customer reviews, several industry thought leaders advise.

More than 1.6 million unique impressions, a 30 per cent uplift in sales and a wider understanding of audiences open to non-alcoholic beverages are just a few wins for Lyre’s Spirit Company following a Covid-fuelled digital advertising play.

Consumer merchandise that’s produced well and is both functionally and visually appealing is a solid asset for a brand that harnesses it, says Subway Australia and New Zealand head of marketing, Rodica Titeica.