Social Media News, Features, and Interviews

Clubhouse is the latest social hit, an invite-only audio chat app that just seems to be the right thing at the right time. And having Tesla’s Elon Musk tweeting about it to his 40 million followers doesn’t hurt. Marketers need to know they’ll probably learn more about Clubhouse by reading about it than by using it, at least to begin with. But nonetheless it pays to be ahead of the curve.

On Safer Internet Day, social media platforms along with several tech companies are looking to send a message about safety and protections, particularly for children.

A significant restructure of Coopers Brewery bringing marketing, distribution and sales together with the brewery team has provided the foundations for the family-owned company to invest in a brand repositioning effort aimed at recruiting new consumers.

Google’s threat to remove its search engine offering from Australia unless a ‘workable’ solution is found to the proposed News Media Bargaining Code has drawn the ire of the Prime Minster through to industry groups and media organisations.

In a year many of us wished had been cancelled, it should not surprise anyone that ‘cancel culture’ peaked in 2020, Landor & Fitch executive director insights and analytics for the Americas, Maarten Lagae, says. And it’s going to remain front and centre in 2021, too.

With the swiftness of response by social media giants to remove President Trump’s from their platforms following the violent attack on Washington DC last week, it was easy to lose sight of other news around brands choosing to use – or not use – these platforms. Yet just before Christmas, Unilever confirmed it will cease its boycott of social media platforms and recommence its presence from January 2021.

Tapping into Snapchat’s full-body augmented reality (AR) lens is allowing Sweat a fresh take on social media engagement as its debuts the latest new year Sweat Challenge, its CEO says.

Facebook and Instagram have blocked US President Donald Trump’s posts for at least two weeks and Twitter has disabled the outgoing President's account in response to the violet attack that erupted across Washington DC and the US Capitol last week.

Pivoting marketing and customer efforts to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic clearly took centre stage this year, as this year’s CMO list of most read stories in 2020 shows.

Raising local and international awareness of Queensland’s wine industry is the name of the game for the new ‘Vine and Shine Trail’ and campaign launching this month after three years in the making.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is once again instigating proceedings against Facebook, this time for allegedly misusing consumer data relating to a VPN app for marketing purposes.

Digital bank 86 400 has teamed up with Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club (TSLSC) to raise money for the renovation of the Sydney clubhouse, pencilled in for early next year. To help the club meet its fundraising target, 86 400 has pledged $25,000 towards the redevelopment project and will also donate an extra $10 for every new customer who tries 86 400 during the partnership using a special code.

Australians have been spending more time in online communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking virtual support and social connection due to lockdowns, according to the Australian Community Managers (ACM) annual industry survey.

Three leading brands have taken to TikTok with fresh user content-driven marketing campaigns aimed at elevating engagement with younger audiences.

2020 has challenged – and changed - how brands and marketers use social media. Some have scrambled to make a rapid move to the digital environment, while others have followed users as they’ve embraced and altered the ways they use social media.

Nestlé has taken the wrappers off new brand names for its Australian Allen's lollies, Red Skins and Chicos, after deciding to rename the products in response to rising racial sensitivity globally.

The average time spent on social media has grown by 30 per cent during the COVID-19 crisis, according to an L&A Social census.This increase in social media usage, coupled with the shift towards ecommerce, has created a commercial imperative for brands and businesses to understand consumer behaviour across social platforms, according to the agency.​

Just under nine out of 10 Australian adults are checking the news they read comes from trustworthy news sources and the majority of us think we’re good at spotting fake news, a new survey has found.

Utilising new social channels such as Tiktok and partnering with surprising ambassadors is key to bringing WW wider brand story around health and wellness to life to new audiences, its local marketing chief says.

Nearly half of Australian adults are more likely to both feel more positively towards and remember the brands they encounter online when they’re feeling more positive and inspired, a new Pinterest survey has found. The findings come as Suncorp launches its first-ever campaign on Pinterest aimed at inspiring and positively connecting with Australian consumers around home renovations.

More than eight in 10 Australians consider organisations asking for personal information that doesn’t seem relevant to an interaction to be a misuse of their data, a new report has found.